Tales of Coruscant
by Teeter-Tottered
Summary: Tales from Coruscant. Tales of love and loss, fun and games. Dark times and light. Dreams and desires. Glimpses into the lives of the troopers who served or visited over the years, and the experiences they shared with the people who lived there.
1. Fox

Tales of Coruscant

I don't own Star Wars. Not one little bit ;)

The night was warm and the air was thrumming with the sounds of the city and it's inhabitants, the greasy scent of street foods lingering in the plaza. Commander Fox stood at the base of the security building with several of his men, watching the bustle of the square passively. Alert for any threat, but with little interest in the everyday comings and goings of the citizens and way of life he protected but had no real part in.

Out of the corner of his visor he saw a flash of red and white movement and cast a glance that way. Ravi and Surge were giving small waves to a wayward youngling at their feet. The little one had stopped in front them, and stared up at them with curious eyes,fingers in his mouth. He stood in a state of shy awe for a few moments before tentatively raising the other small hand up in a reciprocating gesture, a grin forming on his little face. Growing bolder, he reached out to touch the interesting figures in front of him.

But then he was yanked away swiftly by an adult who scooped him up with a dark look at the troopers, and kept walking without looking back again. Ravi raised his fingers to his visor in a sarcastic salute to the retreating man's form, and Fox could hear Surge chuckle over the comm. Both men resumed watching the crowd and Fox brought his attention back to the others before returning to scanning the din.

Lex was to his left, checking clearances and IDs for the building and Turns was across the way, eyes on the intersection and passers by. The neon lights of the square cast everything in intermittent soft, fluttering electric blue and pink hues. The citizens were a bustling blur of swift moving speeders and clusters of figures with places to be, things to do, flitting between the shops. People and creatures of all shapes and sizes and appearances, dancing to the same tune they coudnt hear, but all seemed to fall in step to.

Fox watched as the doors to the building directly across from where he stood slid open and another small crowd exited the buiding, dissipating into the bustle on the walkway. His gaze fell upon and followed the figure of a woman lugging a large bag, the strap slung over her shoulder, fighting a bit against the flow of others as she tried to make head way down the walk. She was almost at the edge of the building when a man seemed to take notice of her and jogged to catch up. He fell in step with her swiftly and laid an arm around her waist, the other hand hefting the strap from her shoulders onto his own.

Fox let his eyes return to the crowd once more, his focus shifting to the whirring of the vehicles and the distant sound of a street musician seeping into his filters. He crossed his arms and let out a long sigh, envying Thorn the luck of having roving patrol that night.

A sudden movement caught his eye then, and his attention was drawn again to the woman across the street. She and the man were standing in the alley that ran between the buildings now, and they appeared to be having a disagreement of some sort. The other pedestrians continued right past them, ignoring them completely. Fox's eyes narrowed as he watched the woman try to pull away from the man, attempting to retreat into the alley while maintaining the grip on her bag.

He began making his way across the street quicky, motioning for Lex to continue what he was doing. Luckily the speeders were at a standstill at that moment, although he had to hop across a few of their hoods as the space between one speeder and the next was too narrow to maneuver. Ravi, Surge and Turns had picked up on his movement and now had their attention on him. He signalled with a quick flick of his hand over his head as he walked. On alert, but hold position.

By the time Fox had reached the other side of the street, the man had pried the bag from the woman's grip, but he only shoved it away and closed in on her instead. The bag hit the walk with a heavy thump as the woman tried to duck away. But the man was fast and the wall was at her back leaving her with nowhere to go. He caught her by the upper arm and held tight. She twisted in his grasp, trying to push him away with a hand on his chest. Her face was alight with a mixture of fear and fury.

"Bennon, I swear I...!" She fell silent as she caught sight of Fox approaching and shrank back, surprise and apprehesion on her face. The man hadnt noticed him yet but used the momentary lapse in her movment to his advantage. He snaked out his other hand to grab hold of her free arm.

But his forearm was caught deftly in a fierce grip and brought up in front of his face.

"Let her go."

The man peeled his eyes from the woman to regard the newcomer, curiosity and rage evident on his face. He blinked up into the visor of the person suddenly standing beside him for a few seconds before sneering. The woman glanced nervously between them, looking very much like she'd make a break for it if she got a chance. "Piss off," the man spat, tightening his grip on her.

Fox twisted the man's arm sharply, causing him to shriek and release his grip on the woman and then he stepped between them. Enraged, the man swung a fist, but it was neatly dodged and then his other arm caught in a vice-like grip.

He was a few inches shorter than the trooper, but heavier set and Fox struggled a little to maintain his grip. And although he kept his main focus on the man, Fox did watch the woman out of the corner of his visor. To his surprise, she had stayed when she was released, moving out of the way but seemingly reluctant to leave in spite of her obvious fear. Almost as though she was ready to step in if necessary. That puzzed him, but he tucked it away to be considered later.

Unable to free his arms, the man roared and bent over, all at once ramming his head into the commander's stomach and bowling him into the wall. It wasnt a damaging blow, as Fox had his armor on, but it did knock the wind ot of him a bit. And it did tick him off. He brought a knee up hard into the man's chest, releasing his arms. The man staggered back, doubled over and hacking. When he looked up, he fixed the culprit with a menacing glare, which the trooper merely quirked an eyebrow at. If he had the time and opportunity, he wouldn't have minded letting the whole thing play out more...he hadnt had a good fight in a long time. And this guy looked like he deserved it.

Fox shook his head against the temptation and turned his head to regard the woman.

She started as the soldier addressed her for the first time.

"Ma'am? Are you alright?" She couldn't see his eyes behind the darkness of the visor, but he appeared to be giving her a quick once-over. His gaze seemed to linger on her upper arm and she self-consciously wrapped her arms around herself, hiding the bruises she could feel forming there. She nodded, trying to manage a small smile.

"I am. Thank you." She looked over at Bennon. He was seething like a sandsnake and his expression was dark. His eyes were darting from her to the man who stood beside her, calculating. They came to rest on her finally, and she shivered under his gaze, being more familiar with it than she liked. She took an involuntary step backaards.

And then several things happened at once.

Bennon snarled and charged at her, and she jerked back, even as the trooper stepped in front of her, putting himself between the two again in an instant. But the enraged man didn't make it far before he was slammed to the ground, an armored knee in his back and one arm twisted behind.

She hadn't even noticed the other soldier approach, who now kneeled on the flailing man, completely unperturbed by his captive's raging. He looked up at the other man standing in front of her, head cocked to one side in inquiry. The two seemed to discuss something, judging by their movements, although she heard nothing. Internal comms she figured, and blushed when they both suddenly focused on her. The second soldier looked her over as the other had done earlier, his gaze falling on her arm and hovering there as well. He looked up at her face again briefly before nodding to the other and pulling the arms of the raging man beneath him into cuffs. Bennon began shouting again and the trooper bent down to whisper something in his ear quietly. Bennon grew still and was pulled to his feet.

"Ma'am." the second soldier inclined his head to her before turning and giving the handcuffed man a sharp shove in the back, and they moved away beneath the soft glow of the neons.

Fox watched Commander Thorn walking the man to the security building across the street for a few moments. In no hurry, they used the crossing area. Glancing across the street he saw Surge and Ravi had their eyes on the pair as well and Lex was comming Trust and Hatch to come help Thorn. He caught Fox's eye and nodded. From the corner Turns gave a thumbs up.

The sound of a fabric sliding against the permacrete made him turn around. The woman was righting her bag before slipping the strap over her shoulder again. She stood up and turned to Fox.

"Thank you," she said with a look of true gratitude, and then fixed her gaze on the ground, rubbing her arms nervously. "I have to...head home now."

"I'll accompany you." Fox offered.

The woman turned to look up at him in surprise and...worry? He couldn't quite place the look, but it made him feel uneasy.

"It would be safer Ma'am, and I can...carry your bag." he tried again, lessening the authorative tone he was accustomed to using, struggling to recall what he knew about conversing with civillians. It wasn't something he was particularly used to, aside from the odd senator here and there. His experience with females was even more limited. He gestured towards the large bag on her shoulder but refrained from reaching for it without her permission. She said nothing for a while, simply studying him, and he shifted a little under the scrutiny. She couldn't see his face of course, but she seemed to be judging his intentions in that gaze.

Finally, she nodded and handed over the bag, watching with slight amusement as Fox lifted it onto his shoulder, an openly curious air about him as to its contents.

"My table." She smilled at him again, and nodded in the direction of the building she had exited earlier. "I work as a massage therapist at The Skyline." Fox nodded and followed her down the alley, considering the events of the evening. They were both quiet for a while, and he used the opportuniy to examine her better. She was on the shorter side, only as tall as his shoulders and quite thin, with brown hair chopped to her chin at an angle. Pale. The marks on her arm were prominent and he frowned.

"That man. He was one of your...clients?" He asked tentatively, unsure if it was appropriate to ask, but determined to find out the reasoning behind the man's attack. He also felt a little heat rising to his face at the nature of her occupation. He had no experience of his own regarding massages but had overheard some...details from the occasional person he served as a bodygaurd for about them.

The woman stopped and turned to stare at him for a moment, blinking. He worried that he'd oversteped and regretted his question. But, then she laughed. A genuine laugh that rang in his helmet and he stopped to look down at her.

"Not that kind of massage. I promise. Only the legit kind." She started walking again and was silent for a while. Fox didn't inquire further, embarassed and afraid he'd insulted her, although she hadn't seemed too offended. He felt so out of his element he was afraid to ask anything else.

"He's my ex-husband." She said at last. She sighed and crossed her arms in front of herself again. "He was trying to find out where we live. We've had to move so many times." She looked at the sky. "My daughter and I," she clarified after a few moments. "He always finds us somehow..."

Fox watched her as they walked, unsure if or what he should say.

"Thank you." She continued. "I mean it. Theres no way I would've told him, but he wouldn't have let me go without doing...something. To be honest, when I first saw you, I thought you were on his side, that he had found a way to take her away."

"Take...your daughter away?" He couldn't fathom why someone would do that, let alone why he would be the one to do such a thing. She nodded.

"It's been rough the last few months. My salary isnt that much sometimes. It takes a while to build a client base, and we've had to move around so much. Last month was especially hard and I had trouble covering the utilities." She paused to look up at Fox uncertainly but could see that his curiosity and misunderstanding was genuine. " But I got it figured out and we're fine now" she added determinedly. Fox nodded once more, taking it all in with true interest. He really had no idea how things worked in the civilian world, and normally had no desire to, but he felt himself intrigued with this woman's life for some reason.

"Just up here" she motioned up a flight of stairs at the base of one of the many tall residential buildings in the area they now walked in. "Thank you for carrying my table." He inclined his head and followed her up the stairs and down a walkway along the outside of the building, to the very last door. There she paused for a moment, resting her forehead on the door lightly before drawing in a breath and letting it out slowly, then opening it, a warm smile now on her face, and motioned him to follow her. It was like she had simply dusted off the bad events of the evening, and Fox marveled at that for a moment before following her inside.

"Mommy!" Fox watched as a little girl jumped up from where she sat on the carpet, and wrapped her arms fiercely around the woman, who returned the embrace with equal fervor. They stayed like that for a few seconds before the girl released her mother to regard the soldier standing in the doorway with open curiosity. Another woman walked into the room, rubbing a cloth over a plate

"Aiya! We were getting worried. We..." She stopped mid sentence when she caught sight of Fox and looked bewteen them. "What happened?! is everything ok?" She set the plate down and walked over to the other woman 'Aiya', Fox now knew, and mentally thumped himself for forgetting to ask.

"Bennon again. I'm fine, though." Aiya waved away the concerned look on her friend's face and smiled, turning to Fox. "I was helped by..." she faltered, realizing she hadn't asked his name and blushed, suddenly ashamed.

But he didn't seem fazed by it and merely took a step forward, offering a hand palm up to the second woman. "Commander Fox, Ma'am." The woman raised an eyebrow and gave him a sly smile beore placing her hand palm down on his in a returned greeting.

"Nice to meet you." She winked and Fox jolted slightly at the gesture, which made the woman giggle, not unkindly.

"Loreen!" Aiya laughed and gave her a playful smack. Then she noticed Commander Fox was still holding the table. "Oh! Sorry. Here." She reached out for the table and he lowered it off his shoulder and gave it to her. She laid it against the wall across the room and came back. "Would you like some tea?" She asked them both, arms wrapped around her daughter who leaned into her side, still regarding the stranger.

"Aw! I do, but I have to get back to the shop and help Oma for the dinner rush." Loreen said. She walked to door and pulled a coat off a hook on the back. She looked at Aiya as she buttoned it up. "Still coming for dinner later?" Aiya smiled and nodded.

"Would't miss it. Thank you for watching Fayna."

"No problem. We're partners in crime right?" She winked down at Fayna and ran a hand over the top of her head, messing the curls there. Fayna gave her a toothy grin back. "We were pirate fairies today who uncovered the galaxy's coolest treasure." She explained to Fox who obviously didn't understand but returned her grin with a bob of his head. Giggling, she gave him another wink, then hugged Aiya before walking to the door. "See you guys."

Fox watched her go, not quite sure of what had happened or what she was talking about, but not entiriely minding the interaction either.

"Tea?"

He looked down to see Aiya looking up at him with a smile, and once again drew a blank. Unsure if it was ok or not, he remembered being told at sme point by someone that it was considered rude to turn down the offer of refreshments to civillians.

"Yes. Thank you." She smiled so he guessed it was the right thing to say.

"Here. Sit and I'll go make some, ok?" She gestured to the couch and walked over to move a pillow to one side. He walked across the room, making sure to avoid stepping on any of the colorful things which he presumed must be toys as he went. "Back in a sec." Aiya said and made her way into the adjoining kitchen. Fox sat down where she indicated and listened to the sound of pots and dishes being moved around. He took the opportunity to take in his surroundings. He'd never been in the home of a regular citizen before.

He noted that it did look a lot like the ones portrayed on the Holonet. Seating area, short table for refreshments, holo-viewing set. A simple table and chairs in the corner. Books stacked in a few piles beside a small indoor fountain against one wall. Toys scattered about. The little girl flitted back and forth amongst them, piecing bits of what looked like blocks together. He studied her and the items curiously, never having seen the things she was playing with in person before, only in shop windows.

His interest must've shown because the little girl, Fayna he recalled, stopped to stare at him for a moment and then picked up some of the bright plastoid pieces laying about and carried them over to him.

"Do you like Link-locks? Build me a spaceship, ok?" The words rolled out of her mouth quickly and she took his hands into hers, wrapping them around his and forming them into a cup. He watched as she poured a handful of the blocks into his hands, then looked from them up into to his visor expectantly, and folded her hands on his knee.

Fox looked between her and his hands in uncertainty. He thought for a second, having watched her using the objects to build various things, and decided he'd take a bash at it.

"Bring me the pieces you want me to use" he said to her and leaned forward to dump the pieces on the small table in front of him, spreading the pile out and surveying the pieces. Fayna hopped off happily to collect some more. He'd never done anything quite like it before but figured it was like assembling anything else, and he was a fast learner. He began linking some blocks in a triangular shape, trusting Fayna to bring him the pieces he'd need. She seemed to know what she was doing. After depositing more blocks on the table she sat down herself beside him and began assembling something of her own. He watched her out of the corner of his eye.

He was making good progress on it in his opinion when Aiya came back in the room carrying a tray. She looked at them and laughed.

"I see she suckered you into making her something" She grinned as she moved some blocks aside witht the tray and set it down.

"She asked nicely," Fox answered truthfully. He glanced at the girl beside him who was working on her third project by then. "She's putting me to shame though," he joked, rolling his incomplete project over in his hands. Aiya glanced at his work in progress as she poured tea.

"Ha. You don't want to see my attempts, either." She smiled at him again, and he felt himself smiling back. He froze for a second, realizing she couldn't see it. That she still hadn't seen his face through his hemet, and he raised a hand to take it off.

Aiya watched the soldier reach up to remove his helmet and he paused for a second, which made her even more curious. She'd never seen the face of any of the republic soldiers before, and had always wondered what they looked like. She felt a tiny clench in her chest that she hadn't ever stopped to talk to any of them before. Or made any effort to even just simply be friendly by waving or smiling. 'I''ll do better from now on', she thought determinedly.

Fox hesitated to remove his helmet briefly, deterring thoughts running through his head. He'd heard that civillians found the looks of his kind startling and odd. Some had even appeared frightened. (The fact that it was likely the result of so many sharing the same face rather than the face itself didn't occur to him as he was so accustomed to it that it anything else would feel abnormal). He hoped Aiya didn't feel the way those others had. He certainly didnt want to frighten the little girl.

But he had to remove it to drink the tea, so off it came. He viewed Aiya intently as he did so. She was watching him as well, openly curious. She blinked a few times and her eyes moved up and down his face slowly as he lifted off his helmet and placed it on the floor beside his feet.

He kept watching her, waiting for a negative reaction of some sort. But after studying him for a bit, she just smiled at him again. Open and kind and warm. Did she always smile this much? he wondered. Or just at him? The other woman had smiled at him too. And senator Amidala had surely smiled at him before. He decided he liked it. Women smiling at him.

Aiya stood up to hand him a cup of tea, then gave one to Fayna, and picked up her own cup before coming over to sit beside him on the couch. Fayna lifted her tea carefully and settled down on the other side of her mother to drink it. They all sat in silence for a little while drinking.

"That was good tea, Mom." Fayna said at last, placing the now empty cup on the table and returning to her creations. Aiya smiled down at her.

"It was very delicious. Thank you." Fox said earnestly, lifting his eyes from the cup in his hands to her face. He'd finished before either of them but hadn't wanted to break the silence by saying anything. He wasnt in the know on tea etiquette.

"I'm glad you liked it." She smiled and stood up and placed her cup on the tray beside Fayna's then bent to take his from him as well. The wall comm chimed as she carried the tray to the kitchen and she hurried back to answer it.

"Aiya?" Fox recognized Loreen's voice. "We're closing up now. You guys can head over."

"Alright. We'll head out in a few."

"Him too."

"What?"

"Commander Fox. He's coming too." It wasnt a question.

"Loreen! I have to ask first. He might have to get back to...He might not want..."

"Oma wants to meet him. See you guys in a bit." The comm ended before Aiya could say anything else. She turned to Fox, looking a little embarassed.

"Would you like to come with us? To dinner I mean. It's just down the street. Oma is an old friend of ours."

Although he'd never been very keen on purposely putting himself in akward or unfamiliar situations, this night had been full of them, yet Fox was enjoying himself. And the more he experienced the little aspects of what seemed to be a "normal" (foreign to him) life, the more interested he became. Which definitely wasn't normal for him.

And the alternative was standing in front of a building until his shift ended, then grabbing some cafeteria food and passing out until morning training drills and repeating it all again.

"Let me check in."

Aiya watched him step outside, surprised. She had thought for sure he'd say no. The idea of asking him had crossed her mind as she was making the tea, but she had refrained from doing so. Why? Why did a simple rejection from a practical stranger matter so much to her? She wondered silently to herself as she ushered Fayna off to get ready.

Fox stepped out onto the landing and replaced his helmet. He opened up a private comm with Ravi.

"Sitrep. Whats the situation on your end?"

"Sir. Nothing new affter you left. Booked that raging bantha. He'll sit for a few days at least."

"Still raving?"

"No, sir. He's quite indisposed at the moment." Fox heard the amusement in Ravi's voice, and a round of chuckles in the background and snorted in slight humor himself. But then it grew quiet.

"The commander said he was a bit rough with the lady. Is she alright? Surge is still on duty." Surge was a medic.

"Bastard did a number on her arm, but she seems to be fine otherwise."

"Did she know why he attacked her? Is... she really his wife? We couldn't get much out of him other than that." He sounded repulsed by the idea.

"Ex. He was trying to find out where she and her daughter live."

"Oh." There was a heavy silence. "Did he find out?"

"No."

"Good." Ravi seemed satisfied with that. "Well, he won't be bothering them any time soon. He made a bad move asssaulting her, and an even worse one assaulting you. Do they have anyone else there with them? Are you heading back now?"

"Er...no." Fox faltered, trying to put the situation to words. He was taking her to dinner? No, accompanying her for dinner? Visiting an aquaintance? Actually, he wasn't sure of precisely what he was doing. "She asked me to...join her for dinner."

The other line was silent for a minute, and Fox could just imagine all the impish and indecent thoughts running through Ravi's head. He felt his face coloring a bit. "With her daughter and friends, Ravi. Don't get any ideas and don't you dare go running that mouth of yours to anyone else, private."

"Sir." Fox could hear muffled laughter and rolled his eyes. He sighed.

"I'll check in afterwards. Stay out of trouble. I mean it, I'm not in the mood tonight."

"Ha! I mean, Sir. Yes Sir." Fox snorted and closed the channel as Fayna hopped out the door and Aiya followed, shutting the door behind her. She glanced at Fox, curious about Bennon but not keen on discussing the night's events in front of Fayna. Fox seemed to read her thoughts.

"Everything's fine back there." She nodded her thanks as she was pulled by Fayna down the stairs and he chuckled at the enthusiasm of the kid. He and the other troopers had always watched the children of the city with a tinge of wonder and curiosity. Never having had the inclination (or perhaps opportunity ) to behave that way at any point in their short childhood, it was something of a marvel to them.

They passed several more residential buildings and a small park area containing a play structure and lined with a couple of landscaped paths. Fayna stooped to run her fingers over the vegetation, then stoppped completely at one point to get on hands and knees and examine some small creature scampering over the path.

"Mommy! A Bugle bix!"

She studied it for a moment more before scampered off in front of them again, her feathery curls floating behind her in the moonlight. Her hair was the white blonde color of the man who had attcked earlier, Fox noted. But when she stopped ahead and turned back to look at them, he saw that her eyes were her mother's, wide and green. He found this mixing of parents features within children fascinating, and studied Aiya again privately from inside his helmet to see if he could recognize any other things she had shared with her daughter.

There was a small dim light over the shop door, and blooms painted in pastel swirls lining the curtained windows. A balcony on the second floor had plants flowing over the rails, flowers among them. Aiya rapped lightly against the blue surface of the door and as it opened wonderful scents seeped in through the filters in Fox's helmet. An older woman stood in the doorway, her hair grey and her apron dusted with something. She stepped forward to cup Aiya's face in her hands.

"My dear." She said and wrapped her arms around the slightly taller woman in front of hr, then looked down at the hopping child who had wedged her way into the middle of the embrace expertly. The woman chuckled. "And my Fay." She planted a kiss on the girl's curls and shood her inside. "Go help your Aunty, she's mixing up some sauce." Fayna bounded off inside.

Fox watched all this with interest, until Aiya stepped to the side and the woman stepped forward and loooked up at him.

"Oma, this is Commander Fox. Commander Fox,"she gestured between the two, "Oma."

Oma smiled up at him and held out her hands in greeting. Fox placed his hands in hers and inclined his head. He started a little when she reached up and touched the side of his hemet in a similar gesture to how she did with Aina. She laughed and turned to the young woman and winked.

"He'll have to get used to that if he intends to visit us." Oma linked an arm in his and Fox let himself be steered into the room, Aina chuckling at his side.

Several hours later, Fox knew it was time he headed back. He stood with some reluctance, gathering his helmet from beside his feet. Aiya looked up at him and gave a small smile and folded her hands under her chin.

"Time for you to go."

Fox nodded, not missing the hint of sadness in her voice, curious to note that he found himself sharing the feeling. How strange this night had become. He glanced at Loreen who was gathering the last of the cups. She smiled over at him, tossing long brown curls over her shoulder as she straightened up. She walked over and gave him a light smack on the back as she made her way into the back room of the shop.

"Don't be a stranger. You better come back," she called over her shoulder as she walked. Fox smiled in return. Again. His face was getting sore from it. Another first for him.

Aiya stood up from the tableware she was drying and placed them softly on the napking beside the ones Fox had dried and set there. She walked over to the door, arms crossing in front of her and looking up at him. Oma came into the room from the back kitchen and crossed over to them.

"You leaving?"

"Yes Ma'am. Thank you for the meal. It was...wonderful." He struggled with the right word to describe it. It had been the best tasting one of his life. Civillians sure could cook. The only thing that came close were the fancy little treats Senator Amidala had shared with him and his men once. He felt a little guilty actually. He had gotten to eat the stuff of Gods while his men were stuck on patrol.

Oma "hmmmed" mistchievously and left the room, giving Fox and Aiya the privacy to say goodbye. Aiya looked up at him, head tilted, inspecting his expression.

"Did you have fun?"

"Yes."

He looked so sincere she laughed. He laughed too, and they both continued for a while. At last she wiped her eyess and looked up at him again.

"I have no idea why that's so funny, but it is." She sniffed a little then beamed up at him. "Thank you. For everything."

"You're wlecome." He really hadn't done much. "Let me know if Bennon bothers you again. I don't think he will anytime soon, but if he does, let us know."

"I will."

"Say goodbye to Fayna for me?"

Aiya had tucked her to sleep in one of the upstairs bedrooms about an hour ago. She nodded. "Thank you for playing the Candypath game with us. I know it's for kids, but she loves it when others play with her so much."

"It was fun. " He paused thoughtfully for a moment., then grinned down at her. "I almost beat you."

"What? You did not! You just got lucky and landed the best card in the game."

"If you say so."

She stuck out her tongue and he snorted, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. She grinned back at him for a minute, until the merriment slowly faded from her face, and was replaced with a serious look.

"Come visit some time, ok? Or...or I'll visit you? Maybe when I get off work."

"I'd like that." he nodded and donned his helmet. "Are you sure you're alright? Do you want me to walk you home. I could...carry Fayna." She smiled again and shook her head.

"No. We're fine. We'll just spend the night here I think." She looked up at him once more. "Goodbye Fox."

"Goodbye Aiya." he held out a hand in a farewell gesture and she returned it, her fingertips grazing his softly. Then she reached out and put a hand lightly on his chest. She patted him there a few times, before stepping back with a smile. He turned to go.

"Stop right there, soldier."

Fox halted instinctually, looking around in surprise. Oma was suddenly at his side and she shoved something into his arms. He looked down at it, confused. It was a large bakery box. He looked up to see Aiya and Oma exchanging sly looks.

"You bring those back with you and you boys enjoy them, you hear?" She looked expectantly at the trooper in front of her, a hand on her hip and shaking her finger at him.

He raised his head slowly and gave them both a deliberate salute, before resuming his walk back to the security complex.

"Yes Ma'am," he said, and even he could hear the smile in his voice.

It had been a very strange night, indeed. And for once, he liked that very much.

Let me know what you guys think! ;)

Next will be a tale about Commander Thorn.


	2. Thorn

I only own the plots that make no sense. :)

It's been a long time since I've sat down and written a story. Too long. Yikes. Please bear with me as I find a groove again. I know I have much to improve upon. Please let me know what you think, though. What you like or hate.

Or any requests for those you might want to read a Coruscant Tale about.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

At first he chalked it up to mere fascination. And that made sense. Because she was everything he was not.

She was...softer. Softer in form, and in voice. Soothing in presence. Even the way she walked, sliding across the polished floors of the banquet hall, her dress trailing behind her with a muffled _shussshhh_.

She was so different than anything he'd known, and he'd never been so...fascinated.

He snapped to attention at her approach.

"Senator Amidala. This is Commander Thorn. He will be your escort for the upcoming conference."

"Commander." She smiled up at him kindly and he was taken aback at the directness of her gaze.

She looked at him, rather than through him or past him as he was accustomed to from other persons of importance. Her expression was open and warm.

It was a moment before he realized she was holding out a hand in greeting.

He responded clumsily, his fingers slipping across her palm in uncustomary nervousness. He completed the gesture and returned his hand to his side with haste. The Senator glanced at him curiously for a moment, and then with a small smile returned her attention to the Ambassador. Thorn felt the heat rising in his face, glad of his helmet. He followed them to a table where they sat and began discussing pressing issues while dining. He was grateful it was only necessary for him to stand to the side, and not partake of the refreshments. He didn't trust himself at the moment. His reaction was as puzzling to himself as it had been to the senator.

And that puzzlement only grew over the following days.

Each day he spent with her, the wonder and awkwardness that he expected to dissipate as familiarity and common sense kicked in, only seemed to grow.

But she was unchanging at least, and his first impression of her proved to be accurate.

She _was_ kind. And lovely in a way he wasn't familiar with and couldn't put the right words to. He wasn't used to the prolonged presence of a human female, let alone one with such presence and authority yet gentleness and kindness, a mixture he had until that point associated so absolutely with the opposite in every aspect, he found himself paying as close attention as he could, not wanting to miss some vital clue that would render the whole situation sensical.

He sat across from her at a small table on the veranda for the third evening that week, watching the sunlight catch on the strands of her hair. The sky behind her was fiery with the setting of the sun and the breeze whisked the airy fabric of her dress between the rungs of the railing beside them. The wisps of clouds were reflected in her eyes as she regarded him.

"I think you're going to have to help me with this one." She said thoughtfully. She sat with one hand resting in her lap and the other poised above her plate, a small fork pinched gracefully between finger and thumb. With a sly smile, she shoved the plate piled high with cloud cakes towards him.

The plate screeched loudly against the surface of the table and a few fellow diners looked up from their own meals to regard the pair curiously. Amidala made a face that was halfway between a grimace and satisfaction. Then she shot the onlookers a beautiful smile, who promptly returned to their dining.

Thorn laughed. At her reaction and expression, and the whole scene that had just played out. At the fact that he as sitting there, watching it take place. He looked down at the food now resting in front of him.

"You cant be serious, Senator. You barely touched them."

"My eyes were bigger than my stomach. You go ahead. Please." She gestured for him to eat and took a sip from her glass as she gazed out over the railing. He picked up a cloud cake and put it in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. The food was amazing, but eating it made him feel awkward. It was too fancy for the likes of him. Surely it suited those with refined tastes more appropriately. Not...someone who was raised on mess hall fare.

He had to admit that it was absolutely wonderful, though.

He looked at the Senator again as he ate another. He was pretty sure she'd ordered the dish knowing she'd be unable to eat it all. Knowing that he'd finish it.

Seemingly reading his thoughts she turned to him again with a smile to her eyes, chin in her hands.

"Thank you for joining me, Commander Thorn."

"My pleasure," he answered sincerely.

She looked about to speak again, when her gaze fell on something behind him and she stood up suddenly. Thorn jumped up and spun around quickly, his side pistol drawn and raised by the time he'd turned around.

"At ease," Anakin Skywalker chuckled as he approached. Thorn holstered his weapon immediately, raising his hand into a sharp salute before falling into parade rest beside the table. He watched with interest as the Senator and jedi greeted one another, although he was careful to keep his face blank. He'd never met Skywalker before, but had heard much about him, and in all respects admired him very much. He was aware that the jedi was frequently a bodyguard for the senator himself, and therefore was neither surprised nor alarmed by the sudden appearance.

Having a natural inclination towards observation, and recently dedicating that trait towards the Senator out of duty and something else he couldn't quite put his finger on, it wasn't lost on Thorn that she positively beamed in the jedi's presence. But it had shown to be such a part of her nature to be so pleasant and welcoming of others that he didn't put much thought into the reasoning behind it other than that.

Thorn followed the pair through the upper halls of the attatched building as they made their way back to the senator's reserved chambers there. He kept a discrete distance, maintaining a safety net if necessary, but not wanting to intrude on their conversation. The jedi walked directly beside the senator, discussing things Thorn had no knowledge of, and not very much interest in, to be honest. Jedi and senatorial campaigns. He envied the ease with which the jedi conversed with his companion, though.

They stopped before the door to her room, and Thorn nodded to them both before positioning himself just outside of it, resuming his post there.

"Commander, why don't you take a break for a bit?"

"Sir?" Thorn looked at the jedi in confusion.

"I've got it from here, for a while. Why don't you go rest?"

"I'm fine, General."

"That's an order, Commander." Although he didn't sound angry, not quite, there was a hint of annoyance in the jedi's tone, and his face had lost its previous joviality.

"Anakin!" The senator was looking at him reproachfully, and then his own gaze softened under hers. He let out a breath, then pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes closed. When he opened them again, he looked at Thorn with an embarassed and apologetic expression.

"Sorry. I didn't mean anything by that. I just...I've got this covered. For now. For...a bit. The senator will let you know when she needs you, Ok?"

The senator smiled softly and placed an arm on the jedi's, and when he turned to look down at her, his mouth twitched into a small smile as well. A smile of familiarity and comraderie and mischief. Of friendship.

And...more than friendship.

The realization hit Thorn all at once, and he jerked back a little. Half from the recognition of something publibly known to be forbidden, and partly from a sudden , inexplicable clenching in his chest. _Oh._

Battling the confusion and surprise and something else he darent put name to welling up inside him, he forced himself to attention and snapped the best salute he could muster under the circumstances.

'Yes Sir." He nodded to them both. "Senator." His chest clenched tighter at the open look of warmth and gratitude the Senator was giving him. He glanced cautiously at the jedi who had crossed his arms and was observing Thorn intently, curiosity and then something like... _recognition_ passing over his features.

Anakin looked directly into Thorn's eyes through the visor, probing the trooper standing before him with the force curiously, but not necessarily unkindly. It was obvious that the commander had never been the receiver of such a thing before because the jedi could feel him mentally recoil at the brush of minds almost immediately.

But Thorn was by chance also painfully honest, and reopened his mind to the connection once he realized what it was, or perhaps remembering the authority that sought it. Anakin could feel him looking directly back at him from behind the visor, watching him as well. The jedi felt the tendrils of emotions dancing on the fringes of the connection between them. _Apprehension_ , _confusion, a slight tinge of jealousy,_ but also respect and loyalty and... _love_. Although that was so buried in the confusion, it would've been nearly impossible to decipher, if Anakin hadn't had the same feeling for the same person in himself to draw a parallel from. There was also a newly forming acceptance and trust. But overriding everything else was the immense feeling of being completely _lost_.

The jedi closed his eyes and let out a small breath, severing the connection. When he opened them, he looked up at Thorn with a small, slightly sad smile.

When Anakin reached out with a hand, Thorn had to stop himself from shrinking back, aware that the jedi knew exactly how he felt, and expecting a punishment or at the very least a reprimand of some sort. But the jedi simply placed a hand on the commander's shoulder, his thumb rubbing small absent circles against the pauldron there as he looked at the ceiling for a moment before he smiled into the visor in front of him with sincerity and kinship.

Thorn felt heat blossoming in his cheeks again as even more confusion coursed through him.

"You and me both, Commander," said the jedi "You and me both." And he gave Thorn one last pat on the shoulder before turning around and grabbing the senator's hand and leading her into the chamber. She glanced back and forth between them with eyebrows raised before letting herself be led away, but she shot Thorn one last brilliant and beautiful smile over her shoulder before the door closed and she was gone.

Commander Thorn left to take a long walk and puzzle things he didn't think he'd ever understand.


	3. Shard

Thank you for your kind reviews Ahsoka1996 and MS-CT 782. I've enjoyed your commando story very much Ahsoka1996, and I've been a long time fan of your work, MS CT 782 ;)

This one is a bit sad. Just a heads up! Hope you all like it, though.

The fact that Lt. Shard wasn't a very big fan of civvies, and non-clone officers for that matter, was fairly common knowledge. At least, among his men and brothers. He wasn't necessarily opposed to fighting for them, or following their orders, and he'd willingly lay down his life for any of them if necessary. He just didn't _like_ them.

Although perhaps not the kindest or unbiased view, his experience and knowledge of them was that they were unorganized, panicky, self-serving and lacked the basic forethought to perform even the most minute military measures appropriately.

So, when word came in that a civilian vessel in orbit needed emergency evacuation measures, and their team was to be dispatched and headed by Captain Taro, an officer straight out of the academy, Lt. Sharp's squad all knew he was rolling his eyes behind his helmet as they headed out. Hard.

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It wasn't too uncommon of an occurrence on such a heavily populated planet as Coruscant. Mid-air collisions between aircraft (civilian and military alike) with unregistered vessels happened more often than everyone liked. And there seemed to be no real way of preventing them.

Shard and his squad followed Taro into the shuttle with the expectation that not everyone aboard would be alive or able to be saved. A rogue craft had collided with the transport shuttle during lift-off and knocked out navigation and life support. And to to have done that, the impact must've been one of great force. Anyone in proximity or not secured was lost, they knew.

But, someone had made the emergency call, so someone was alive to be saved. And if the rescue party had their way of it, they would be.

"Anyone uninjured, move into the response vessel quickly!" Captain Taro called over the cries and moans and sobs that were the voices of the fear and panic and loss that hung in the air.

Shard and his men were intermittently helping people from one vessel to the other and checking on the injured, keeping a steady stream of movement between them. Time was of the essence here, as the loading bay had been rigged to hold against the vacuum of the darkness beyond, but it was anyone's guess how long it could last. The vessel was so old and shoddy only a complete overhaul could fix the damage now, and they had neither the time nor the means to do so.

Net, a rookie to the team, but a promising medic made quick work of bandaging up and stabilizing who he could about the cabin. Whenever he deemed a patient ready to be moved he gave a thumbs up to the trooper at his side, moving onto the next as the previous was carried away.

He finished splinting and wrapping the leg of an unconscious woman with a young child who watched his movements from Taro's lap at her side. He gave a thumbs up to Speeder who scooped the woman up and carried her quickly to the other craft. Taro stood up and held out the little girl to the next available man, who happened to be Shard.

Perhaps it was the way Shard took her, balancing her between his outstretched hands as though she were as fragile as glass and maintaining as much distance as possible as though she were an explosive device. Or maybe it was the severity and sadness of the situation that merely made everyone nervy. But Taro laughed out loud.

Shard froze and looked at the captain warily behind his visor while maneuvering out of the way of the tiny flailing arms that seemed to want to latch on to him.

"She's not contagious, Lieutenant."

"Yes Sir," Shard admitted, although it looked like he wasn't entirely sure of the truth of those words. He shot a glare at Net who chuckled at the exchange. The medic was working on the last patient, an older man who had suffered a head wound from the seating tray in front of him during impact.

Shard felt himself prickle at the noobie officer for poking fun at him as he made his way across the cabin. What did he know about civvies? Or kids for that matter? He wasn't trained to babysit. That kid of an officer (although technically much older than Shard) had no idea of the things he and his men were capable of doing. Had done. Things Taro would likely never experience or know how to handle. Given any real challenge or danger, the kid'd probably panic and worry only about himself just like any other non-clone officer. Shard snorted as he stepped into the temporary passage between the vessels, trying to keep a grip on the wiggling and flailing being in his grasp. Steel jogged past him, back into the damaged vessel to help Net and Taro with the last man.

The child in his arms was beginning to kick ferociously and Shard was glad that he had picked her up facing the way she was. He gave the door a light kick with his boot and as soon as it opened, handed her to the closest person on the other side before sealing the door once more. He heading back down the passage just as Net and Taro and Steel entered, carrying the man between them.

A sharp shudder reverberated beneath their feet suddenly and everyone froze.

One brief and agonizing moment passed as they all shared the same look of realization and terror. Then Taro made a break for the doorway of the damaged craft, and Shard only had enough time to think that the captain must've forgotten it was unsealable, that they had had to cut their way through forcefully to enter it, in his panic, before there was a terrible crack.

"Magnetics!" Taro's voice rang out. He slammed a fist against the side panel, activating it. Shard and his men obeyed instinctually, locking down their suits to the floor. And then there was a roaring engulfing them, and a furious wind which pulled fiercely at their suits and the corridor around them. It ripped the man from Net and Steel's grasp and they all could do nothing but watch in frozen horror as he and Taro were sucked into the abyss.

The panels of the corridor were stripped away one by one around them and they crouched, struggling against the buffeting of wind and debris sailing past them. There wasn't much else they could do, although their eyes instinctually fixed on the sealed door at the other end of the passage. But, even if they could struggle their way to it without being swept away, opening it would be death to those on the other side.

Shard looked back at his men. They were crouched as well, trying to make themselves as small as possible against the onslaught. They stared back at him, and Net gave him a shaky thumbs up. Steel snorted over the comms, and Shard found himself chuckling. Which was absurd. They were dead men. The situation was bleak. And yet, something made him laugh.

He thought of Taro then, reminded of the young officer's merriment during a grim situation. It was a small comfort now, but Shard found himself glad that the captain had been able to laugh, even if it had been at him, before he died. And he felt a twinge of guilt and realization he would never have considered possible. He had been wrong about the young officer. Dead wrong. In the heat of the moment, he had saved their lives. When it had come down to it, he had been the one who had reacted first.

Even if they weren't going to make it.

Even though it hadn't made a difference in the end. He had tried. Shard found himself reconsidering what he had assumed was true about everyone else, and about himself. he smiled again, wondering morbidly if everyone had the same introspection before they died.

"Sir!"

Shard snapped his head up and looked back over his shoulder again. Steel was motioning towards the raging opening behind them. As debris had been pulled free and through it, the maw of it had become smaller, torn panels piling up around it. Shard looked around quickly. The exterior panels of the corridor were still intact, and some of the interior ones remained. Maybe, just maybe...

He tested out his maneuverability against the vacuuming torrent. It was still a pain in the shebs but he could move a little. If they could just knock a big enough piece free. From the motions of their heads, Net and Steel had come to the same conclusion.

"The moment your blasters won't be pulled from your hands, ladies, shoot at anything not vital to the structure of this corridor," Shard ordered, already eyeing a loose panel that was trembling violently and beginning to curl at the edges.

Within a minute it was careening towards the opening and then caught at an angle across. Shard unholstered the pistol at his side and gripped it with both hands to prevent it flying from his grasp. He began firing at a large panel coming loose to his left, making sure to pick one that was behind his men, lest it go sailing into them. It came free in a shower of sparks and stopped up the opening a little bit more. Doing so lessened the tug on the others enough that they too unleashed a volley of bolts at their own panels.

His focus on the task as so great that Shard had no idea how long it took to complete it, but the second the howling was stemmed and they were able to run, they did. They burst through the doorway to the rescue craft amid a sea of incredulous civilians and relieved comrades,sealing off the corridor behind them. For long moments they merely sat in silence, chests heaving with adrenalin and disbelief, perhaps wary of breaking the spell of such incredible luck.

But then they were engulfed by the crowd around them, troopers and civvies alike. And it didn't go unnoticed by Shard's men that he didn't flinch or cringe as the civilians crowded around the three, wrapping their arms around the men who had saved their lives and almost paid the ultimate price.


	4. Fox II

Thank you guys for the reviews :)

And, sorry! I've been terrible with this story. I had this chapter outlined but didn't get the chance to fill it out and write it over the holidays. Ah! I'll try to be better about that. I've got a few more chapters outlined for Surge (romantic), Ravi(action and humor), and Turns (sad), but I've got to flesh them out and write them still. Let me know if you have a preference of who I do first. ;)

Update: I didn't realize the last portion of this chapter got cut off. Fixed it!

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Aiya settled her bag's strap across her shoulder and followed the others as they walked out the main doors of the lobby and into the night. She stepped onto the permacrete path and immediately felt the warmth envelop her, the chorus of the city at night a familiar comfort. The sounds and scents and neons were a welcome transition from the pristine and quiet confinement of the tower where she worked and she paused for a second to enjoy it.

The crowd buffeted around her, parting and working its way past, leaving a small space where she stood, a tiny island in a sea of people. A pebble of solace still amid the tide. Exhaling slowly, Aiya then joined the current.

She stopped at the mouth of the alley that marked her path home and turned to glance at the building across the street. Raising an arm, she waved at several of the familiar figures who stood out among the crowd, her eyes latching onto their armor, faintly glowing beneath the streetlamps. Her greeting was returned immediately and with an exuberance that made her smile.

One of the figures probed further, sending her a questioning gesture, rotating his hand to alternate between a thumbs-up and down. Aiya laughed. That was Ravi, she was certain, although his armor was identical to his companion's. She shot him an exaggerated thumbs up and he gave her two in return before he received a smack on the back from his companion.

There was another trooper at the crossroads who appeared to be giving someone directions, but his gaze was on her when she looked at him and he gave her a quick salute before returning to what he was doing. Aiya thought that he might be Turns, but wasn't sure, and she smiled softly as she mused over this ritual which and become the norm over the last few months and began making her way down the alley.

When the end came into view a few mintues later, a tall, dark figure was reclining against the wall of the opening. Beneath the faint light of the overhead streetlamp, he could've been anyone. Any republic soldier, at least. But the way he pushed off the wall and immediately held out a hand to take her bag told her who he was.

Fox.

Aiya found herself beaming up at him as she wordlessly placed the strap across his outstretched palm and he slung it over his own shoulder with a practiced ease. They began their familar walk in silence. Once they left the shadows of the alley, the paint on Fox's helmet shone vividly and distinguishable.

In the darkness it had been hard to tell if was him or Thorn who waited for her that night. Ever since that first night of her rescue (as she dubbed it within her mind), there had been someone waiting to escort her home. Although sometimes it was a regular trooper, more often than not it was Fox or Thorn there in the half darkness. And they both wore such similar ornaments to their armor, it was hard to tell them apart in the half-light. They shared not only the same height and build, but many of the same mannerisms. Even the way they waited for her was the same, resting against the wall in the same fashion, and tilting their heads at her approach.

But Thorn was quicker to press off, and at her approach he always reached out to her with both hands. Automatically taking both her bag and her smaller lunch sack from her with an eager friendliness.

Fox was slower, more deliberate with his movements. Standing upright, regarding her thoughtfully in the dim light as though checking her over for injuries or anything amiss. And he always only offered his hand for her table, waiting until she gave it freely. He knew that she preferred to carry her lunch bag so as not to be left empty-handed on the walk home. She'd told him once, and he'd remembered.

That had been on a walk home like this one, months ago. In the beginning. Back when she'd valued the company for safety as much as the companionship. Now she found the worry of safety so fleeting, it was laughable. A lightness in her chest she knew she took for granted but couldn't bring herself to fault herself for. She chose to treasure the feeling instead.

How funny that a dark figure in the night now brought such comfort to her. That couldn't be healthy. Aiya laughed out loud.

Fox looked down at her and smiled behind his helmet but said nothing. He had grown accustomed to her random bursts of happiness and though he still found it puzzling, it was also endearing. He similarly enjoyed the ease with which silence settled between them as they walked.

For as long as he could remember, silence had been the bearer of bad things. Of danger and discord, a fleeting reprieve before death came to you or those beside you.

But this silence was sweet and still, warm and soft and blanketing like the night. Like her.

The bell above the door chimed as they stepped inside the shop.

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"I'm too old for this." Oma rose from her chair and stretched huffily. "I'm no young thing anymore, and I've got breakfast to make in the morning." She wrapped a shawl around her stout shoulders and shot the two people sitting across from her on the sofa a dirty look, but there was a twinkle of mischief in her eyes.

"You're not old, Oma. You don't get old. You swore when I was a wee thing, remember?" Aiya returned.

"No. I'm old. I can't remember anything."

"Not allowed."

"What? I can't hear you either."Oma cupped a hand to her ear and made an exagerated straining expression. She looked so hilarious Fox chuckled before he could stop himself and the older woman threw a small cushion at him. He didn't block it and it hit him square in the face. Aiya snorted before giving into a fit of chuckles. She hid her face against his arm, shaking silently in mirth.

"Getting a bit slow yourself, young man." Oma regarded Fox sternly, refolding the shawl around herself like a bat tucking its wings. Fox blinked at her so innocently, his face a perfect mask of utter suprise that she finally laughed out loud. She shook her head at them both. "Alright kiddies, I'm off to bed with the little lady."

Aiya lifted her face to smile warmly at the mother-figure she loved so dearly. "Goodnight Oma."

Oma paused at the doorway to one of the bedrooms to give them both a mischievous look over her shoulder. "Don't stay up too late, you lot." And then she closed the door softly behind her and they were left alone.

Aiya pulled the blanket closer around her shoulders and leaned fully against Fox's arm, watching the flickering shadows of the lantern on the table before them dancing across the boardgame they had been playing. The candle within had all but disappeared, but the flame of the wick lingered defiantly in the oil.

She wrapped her arms around his middle, and Fox folded his arms around her shoulders, pulling her with him as he leaned back against the armrest. He rested his chin on the top of her head and she placed her cheek to his chest, an ear to his heartbeat.

They lay that way for long moments.

It had become their unspoken ritual in the last few weeks, this simple and quiet companionship on the nights he could stay. His way of telling her he'd stay if he was welcome, her answer of please do.

And although they never did more than that in the silence and darkness, wrapped in the pool of a blanket on the sofa, sometimes at Aiya's home, and sometimes there in the shop's living quarters, it was enough.

Aiya ran her hand along the fabric of Fox's sleeve, tracing the lined pattern of his bodysuit and rolling it between her fingers. It had an odd feeling to it. Soft but also not, stretchy yet form fitting, breathable yet somehow air tight. Fox had told her that when completed with his armor and helmet, it had the capabilities for climate control, vitals monitoring, able to withstand even the freezing vacuum of space for a short time. She paused her touch. She didn't even want to think about that.

Fox watched as she felt the contours of his sleeve, worrying the fabric between slim, deft fingers. He could feel her heartbeat against his side and smell the light, sweet scent of her hair which was soft beneath his chin. The warmth of her other arm tucked around the small of his back. She paused suddenly, releasing his sleeve, her hand hovering as though a sudden thought had struck her. He stared down at her curiously.

But then she lowered it again and slid her hand up to his shoulder to give it an affectionate squeeze. She tilted her chin up to give him a smile, which he returned.

And once more her hand was gliding down his arm, her touch as smooth and soothing as any balm. When she reached his hand and laced her fingers with his he relished the feel of her palm against his, the delicate nature of her hand intertwined with his much larger one. Like the times before, her touch was cool and light and the silence was warm and sweet, and he savored it until he fell asleep.

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Fox woke to the sound of pots and pans clanging and had to blink a few times to orientate himself. Aiya was still sleeping, a warm weight against his chest, arms folded beneath her face which was strewn with her hair. Fox shifted a little, not wanting to wake her but trying to revive the hand beneath her which had fallen asleep at some point. A weight upon his feet puzzled him, and he looked down to see Fayna sprawled across his and Aiya's legs, snoring softly. She lay over them on her back, her own legs resting against the back of the sofa, and a thumb half in her mouth. Sound asleep.

Fox chuckled and Aiya woke.

"Whass...?" She rubbed her eyes and tried to sit up, only to find her legs trapped. She blinked at them in a confused manner for a few seconds before laughing herself.

"Funny little thing," she mumbled affectionately and she eased herself to a sitting position, her back against Fox. She pulled the sleeping girl into her arms and retucked the blanket around them all. Fox shook out his hand then wrapped his arms around them for a minute.

"She must've snuck in when Oma got up."

"Probably." Aiya rubbed an arm across her eyes, trying to wake up further. "Oof. Feels like we just fell asleep."

Fox glanced at the holo-clock across the room. Five hours.

"Coffee is necessary." Aiya wiggled her arms free and stretched before replacing them around her daughter. She shot Fox a glance over her shoulder. "You coming, or staying with the little bit?"

Fayna shifted a little at the sound of her mother's voice, then let out a loud snore as her head flopped back in Aina's arms. Fox ran a hand over his face to hide the grin. "I'll take some coffee too."

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The market district was bustling that morning as they made their way between the vendors. The path was cluttered with shoppers buying food and wares and the calls and cries of buyer and seller alike rang out among the stalls which were like ribbons sprawling upon the permacrete. Fox followed Aiya as she ducked among them, looking on as she tossed various things into the basket she carried, occasionally adding items to the one tucked under his arm as well. He watched Fayna out of the corner of his eye. She danced before and around them, slipping in and out of his vision like a wisp of colored smoke.

Aiya was just paying for some fruit when the little girl gave out a shrill shriek and took off running. Her mother spun around in surprise but only saw the back of Fox's armor as he chased after her.

She was nimble and weaved through the crowd effortlessly ducking beneath obstacles and dodging people Fox could only hop over or squeeze past. Fox called after her but he doubted he could be heard over the noise of the market. A few bemused onlookers jumped out of his way and watched the scene curiously.

He'd almost caught up with her when she careened into something.

Or rather, someone.

Thorn looked down at the small figure wrapped around his leg and reholstered the side blaster he'd drawn upon impact immediately. When he'd felt something slam into his leg, that wasn't what he'd expected. He stood there puzzled for a second before reaching down to pat her back.

"Hey, half-rations." He glanced around for Aiya before looking down at her again.

She gave him a toothy grin just as Fox came bursting through the crowd. The other commander came to an abrupt halt before them, nearly stumbling in his haste and dropping the basket of food. Several pieces rolled across the ground. Fayna regarded him curiously from behind Thorn's leg.

Fox just looked at her for a minute, his arms wavering a bit as though he was caught between crossing his arms or shaking a finger at the girl. But then he just let out a long breath and began to pick up the basket and its contents.

Thorn's laughter spilled from his helmet's filters and he ran a hand over the little girl's head just as Aiya came running through the crowd. She caught sight of them and an extremely relieved albeit exasperated look came over her face. She shook her head and bent over, her hands on her knees and chest heaving. Her basket was gone.

"Who is this?"

A hooded figure stepped out of the merchant tent they all stood in front of and kneeled in front of Fayna. Thorn looked down at the little girl who ducked shyly behind his legs.

Padme laughed and stood. She gave Thorn a smile, and then Fox and Aiya as well. Fox straightened and saluted.

"Senator."

Aiya brought her palms together and inclined her head to the other woman also.

"Ma'am." She took in the beautiful woman in front of her. So this was the Senator Fox and Thorn spoke so reverently of. The woman Thorn often escorted and came back speaking of with such stars in his eyes and affection in his voice.

Aiya glanced at Thorn, but his attention was on Fayna who clung tightly to his hand with one of her own, her other arm still wrapped around his thigh. She stared up at the senator with obvious curiosity and adoration. Padme bent and ran a finger down Fayna's cheek, then stood again and smiled at them all once more.

Aiya was honored to meet her. She knelt and beckoned Fayna with her arms. The girl lingered for a moment, still looking up at Padme, before running back to her mother.

The senator inclined her head once more and turned to go. Thorn gave a nod to Aiya, then Fox and a small wave to Fayna before following her.

Aiya picked up Fayna and grinned at Fox, raising an eyebrow.

"Up for a basket hunt? Ten points if we can find it without losing anything else. Twenty points if we meet someone else cool, though." She and Fayna watched the retreating backs of the commander and senator.

Fox just snorted.

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"What do you think?"

Thorn speared a piece of grilled protein with his fork and cut it neatly with the knife in his other hand. He sat in the mess hall beside Commander Fox, eating a quick meal at the close of their shift that night. There weren't too many other troopers eating at that hour so they had the table to themselves, although Thorn's voice was still intentionally soft.

Fox chewed thoughtfully in silence for a while, gazing across the other tables at the wall on the far side of the large room. He swallowed and lifted an eyebrow.

"There are worse Senators to have a thing for."

He went back to eating, and Thorn shot him a tired look.

"That's all you have to say?"

Fox looked at him out of the corner of his eye.

"Not good enough?"

"No. I just thought...you'd have something to say about it. Helpful or against or...otherwise." Thorn sighed and laid down his utensils to plop his elbows on the table. He rubbed a hand over his fist looking at the floor between their table and the next absent-mindedly.

Fox snorted, but stopped eating. He stared hard at his plate.

"I think you're human, Thorn. And she's a very beautiful woman. In many ways. Although I don't share your feelings, I can understand why they're there." He sent Thorn another sideways glance.

"I also think you're capable of handling the situation, and trust your judgment."

Thorn nodded and gave him a small smile of gratitude. Fox went back to eating.

"I don't have any advice other than reminding you to keep it professional...or at least to not share the details if you don't." Fox chuckled as he said the last part and Thorn punched his shoulder.

"There's nothing between us. She has...someone else."

Fox didn't reply and they both went back to eating in silence. Thorn was fairly certain the other commander was also aware of the Senator's forbidden relationship with the Jedi general, although he himself hadn't (and would never) let the information pass his lips. And Fox wasn't one to partake in gossip or to interfere in the private matters of others, so he had no fear if his friend did.

"Any missions coming up?"

"In another week or so," Thorn answered. "Another banquet, I think."

"I heard about that one. With Senator Organa, correct?"

Thorn nodded, eating his last bite. "And generals Kenobi and Skywalker."

"He likes you." Fox drank the last dregs from his mug and stood up to clear his tray as Thorn did the same.

"What? Who?"

"General Skywalker," Fox stated matter-of-factly, turning to look at Thorn directly, who froze mid-step. He blinked at Fox for a few moments, caught off-guard and confused.

"I don't know wh..."

"He trusts you. With the Senator," Fox continued and Thorn stared back at him curiously. So he did know... "He requested specifically that you accompany her several times, that I've overheard." They turned in their trays and headed back to the barracks. Fox didn't say anything else as they walked and Thorn pondered his words.

He trusts you...Thorn considered the way Fox had said it as they walked. His voice had possessed an odd mixture of pride and sadness. Why?

And then Thorn realized something he hadn't before. Something that was plain as day but he had been too distracted trying to figure things out on his level to notice.

Fox had been her bodygaurd first. He'd been part of the original squad assigned to Senator Amidala from the get go. He'd even rescued her from Ziro the hutt once.

They had reached their shared quarters and Thorn began removing his armor, eyes on Fox's back as he did the same. He stacked the plates and guards in the drawer beneath the bed and sat down on it, still watching his brother.

Fox pulled off his gloves and shirt and flopped down on his bed, face in the matress. It had been a long day after a short night's sleep and he was eager to catch up.

"Do you miss it?"

Fox lifted his face from the bed to regard Thorn in confusion.

"...Miss what?"

Thorn looked at him evenly, a tinge of guilt on his face.

"Protecting the Senator."

Fox was caught completely off guard. Is that what Thorn had thought he meant? He sat up slowly and let out a long sigh before running a hand through his hair. He leaned forward to rest his chin on his fists, elbows on his knees. He shot Thorn a thoughtful look.

"There was never anything between the Senator and me."

A brief look of surprise passed over Thorns face before he covered it quickly with a blank expression, although his eyebrows knitted together.

"That's not what I meant."

"You sure?" Fox joked, then chuckled as Thorn's expression turned exasperated. He flopped back down on the bed.

"I'm not...jealous," he shot Thorn a grin "I do miss the action sometimes, though. I envy you a little, I suppose."

Thorn let out a relieved sigh, then lay down himself. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the ceiling for a few moments. After a bit he began laughing quietly.

"This morning seemed pretty exciting."

Fox threw an arm over his face and chuckled.

They were both quiet for a little while before Thorn spoke again.

"There isn't anything between the Senator and me either. Nothing reciprocated, anyway. Not like...," he paused for a moment before continuing, "...you and Miss Aiya." He turned his head to fix Fox with a small smile as he turned off the light. "I guess we're even?"

Fox considered that as he lay in the darkness.


	5. Turns

Ah, cozzizzie! I chose the one you didn't want. I'm sorry!

Everyone, I'm going to try changing things up a bit. From now on the stories will be shorter, and span several chapters rather than longer, single chapter ones. I hope that's ok. I'm hoping that will encourage me to update more frequently (and this way I can be naughty and leave you anticipating, right?). ;)

This chapter takes place before any of the others and is about Turns finding his way within his squad on Coruscant. I gave him the back story of originally being in the 501st but being broken after losing everyone at Christophsis, and then Teth. Rex makes a brief appearance too at this sad time, poor guy.

...

The sky was white and smoke and the buildings were shattered mirrors, blue spyres adrift in the smouldering chaos. Screams and blaster fire ricocheted off the rubble and peppered his filters with echoes of death and dying.

The ground,at least what you could see of it, was littered with bodies. Bodies that hadn't been, not so long ago. He tried to block it out, the bodies, and the cries and screams of urging and pleading and pain.

He walked among the carnage, locking his eyes on his targets and lining up shot after shot. Trying desperately to see what was before him. And not to see.

Hours later it was over, and he didn't want to see or hear anything at all.

...

Captain Rex ran a hand over his head and let out a breath, his eyes flicking back and forth over the ground at his feet, although he saw none of it.

There was a small, bitter smile on his face when he looked back up at Commander Fox.

"I just thought...Maybe..."he broke off to scrub a hand over his eyes and shook his head. Fox could see the exhaustion in the Captain's face and posture, and although that wasn't something too uncommon to see in a brother, there was something else there too that he had never witnessed from Rex before and it bothered him deeply.

It was almost...defeat.

"It's a good thought, Rex. He'll do fine here. And...if nothing else, he'll have to tell Ravi to shut up eventually."

A small shadow of a smile crept across the Captain's lips and Fox ushered him to take the chair that sat in front of his desk. He poured a cup of caf and pressed it into the other man's hands before sitting down himself. He glanced down at the transfer sheet in front of him again.

"Not the most exciting post in the galaxy," he signed the flimsi and slid it over to Rex, "but sometimes that's not a bad thing." He looked over at the other man and studied him carefully for a long time. "Im sorry, Rex."

Rex nodded, eyes still not quite registering everything in front of him. The coffee in his hands remained untouched, the tendrils of heat curling before his face unseen.

Fox could only imagine what his old friend was feeling, and he considered how terrible he'd look and act and feel if he was in the same position. He tried to fathom losing even half as many men as the Captain had. He couldn't.

And there wasn't much solace he could offer that seemed any more fitting than a drop in a bucket right now. Except this.

...

Turns could tell they were all trying. And as sincerely and kindly as they knew how. Which was a wonder of itself, considering they were never taught or allowed such a thing. He felt odd being the recipient of it.

And there was a small part of him deep inside that wanted to respond, a whisper within him that wanted to reciprocate. A tiny voice that told him he should care that they took such pains. He should care about them. About anything. But he just didn't.

Or couldn't. He wasn't sure which.

And he didn't speak.

The days passed, and then weeks. And though they cared and pressed and coaxed him to respond, and his heart pleaded for him to answer the call of kinship, and satiate the craving to interact with someone, anyone in any small way. To give into the cry for companionship heavy in his chest, he squashed the desire harshly.

He did what was asked of him and no farther in any pursuit.

Turns found himself avoiding the others whenever possible. He ignored their offers to join them and took to doing everything in solitude. Eating and showering and off-duty activities, normally group endeavors for his brothers, he slipped away from or avoided altogether.

When he was dragged out to drink with his squad by his well-meaning sergeant, they spent what meager credits they had between them buying him a surplus of snacks and a round of the more expensive and sought after drinks. But still he said nothing and drank nothing, until they eventually resolved to let him be for the night.

He sat alone, watching his brothers from a quiet corner of the bar, letting the loud music wash over him deafeningly and glad of it. It distracted him from thinking about anything too deeply, which was always a welcome reprieve.

From where he sat he could see Trust and Hatch playing some sort of drinking game with other brothers who weren't in his squad. They were all equally drunk and had gathered an audience. Surge and Ravi were at the bar chatting up a pretty Twil'ek girl who sat between them, and Lex, their Sergeant, was watching them all quietly from where he sat further down at the bar. He was nursing the same drink he had been for a while. He never drank more than that and Turns wondered if it was due to caution, a sense of duty, or just preference.

The sergeant's roving gaze fell on Turns briefly and he looked away quickly, hoping Lex wouldn't head over and try to strike up a conversation again.

He didn't, and Turns let out a sigh of relief. After a while he rose and gestured that he was headed outside for some fresh air. Lex eyed him for a long moment before nodding, and Turns was grateful to be afforded that small kindness even though he knew he didn't deserve it.

He made his way slowly through the crowd and to the front. A brother he didn't know snagged him on his way out and draped an arm around his shoulders, giving him a smile.

"Come on, buddy. I'll buy you a drink. No need to be that miserable , eh?"

Did he look that unhappy? Turns wondered about that. He didn't feel miserable. He just felt...nothing. He shook his head and pushed off the other man's arm and kept walking. The friendly brother shrugged but let him go, glancing at him curiously over his shoulder.

Turns stepped off to the side of the building and inhaled some of the night air. As much as he liked the distraction of the commotion and music within the bar, he had to get a break from it after a while. Inside it was loud and bright, frenzy and fast and distracting. But out here it was muted and shadows, far-off speeders, muffled titters among drunk brothers and murky sky.

It felt good to breathe and not have eyes on him while doing so. Watching, waiting, worrying, expecting. He knew they meant well. And he knew he was acting like a total dikut. He just didn't have the resolve or desire to do anything else.

He was examining some smudges on the permacrete between his feet when he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head fully in that direction and caught sight of a sliver of darkness separating from the darkened edge of a building before becoming one with it once more. Again, tentatively, and then it slinked back into the recess beside the building and was gone.

Intrigued, Turns followed.

He knew it was stupid.

He wasn't armed and wore only the standard dark grey off-duty uniform. But, for the first time in weeks, he felt something. He was curious, and not about to ignore that after so long feeling and having the desire to do nothing.

Whatever it was, it wasn't very hard to trail. It weaved between and around the obstacles in its path haphazardly, slowly but clumsily. Stopping for a purchase of each object, but taking nothing, as though searching aimlessly for something it had never seen. It paused in a patch of blackness for a time before stepping delicately into the light of an overhead lamp.

Turns eyed the small figure curiously.

It was a child, a boy by the looks of him, a mop of messy black hair and what Turns guessed was a sleeping outfit of sorts. The child was unkempt but looked otherwise healthy. Moderately thin but not too much so. No apparent injuries.

He spun at the sound of Turns approaching and let out a small "eep" before slipping beneath a large waste receptacle against the building.

Turns didn't know much about children, but enough to decide this one was a bit too young to be alone. He got on his hands and knees and peered under the rubbage bin.

He could just make out flashes of two eyes reflecting the light from behind him all the way back against the wall.

"Hey...kid." His voice was raspy from weeks of non-use and he had to clear his throat before continuing. "Kid, come on out." He gestured with his hands.

The boy didn't budge.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Turns lay down flat against the permacrete and reached and arm out, but the boy shied away from his grasp.

The trooper considered scooting just a little bit further and making a grab for the kid, but he judged that the permacrete was too rough to drag the kid across, and he really wasn't looking to frighten him any further.

He'd just have to wait until the kid came out on his own. Turns slid back out from underneath the receptable and rose to his knees.

"I'll wait here for you to come out, ok?" He tried to make his voice sound as encouraging as possible and moved back to sit against the far wall. He watched the opening for any signs of little hands or feet, wondering where the boy's parents were.

A short amount of time passed before the tiny, now filthy figure wiggled its way from beneath the bin and sat looking at the trooper before him shyly.

Turns wasn't entirely sure of the approach he should take, so he decided to stay put and see what the kid would do. He hoped he didn't make a bolt for it. After a minute, he extended a hand.

The boy stared at it for long moments before standing up and approaching cautiously. He stopped a few feet away to look between the offered hand and the man sitting before him, before pushing the arm aside and falling into Turn's lap, sobbing.

Turns was taken aback by the ease with which the child switched from being terrified to trusting a stranger so freely and completely. Was it really that easy? The little boy curled up against him, gripping the fabric of the uniform tightly in his little fists, burying his face against Turn's chest.

It was long moments before the child settled and Turns sat quietly, akwardly alternating between patting and rubbing small circles into the little back.

Finally, the boy looked up at the trooper with tired, swollen eyes.

"Are you ready to go home? Can you show me?" Turns asked and the little boy rubbed his eyes furiously but nodded. He stood and waited for the boy to begin leading the way, but he just stood there looking up at him silently amid sniffles.

"Do you know the way?"

The little boy nodded and raised his arms.

Turns picked him up uncertainly. He'd definitely never held a kid before. He wondered if there was a specific way of doing it correctly. He guessed he was tolerable at it because the boy settled against him easily and wrapped his arms around Turn's neck.

Turns let out a long breath and looked over his shoulder in the direction of the bar.

Lex was probably looking for him now.

But he couldn't really bring the kid back to the bar. And he didn't want to betray the kid's newfound trust in him by just handing him over to some security droid.

They'd never let him out of their sight again after this.

He let out a long sigh, then hoisted the boy up a bit higher.

"Ok, kid. Which way? "

...

Let me know what you think ;) Next part should be up in another day or two.


	6. Turns pt 2

...

Turns was growing more and more doubtful that this had been a good idea the further they walked.

The buildings were growing increasingly decrepit, neglected and narrow and dark. The widows were slatted strips of light shining faintly on the street below which was grimy and scattered with refuse. It was also deserted for the most part. He could hear the far off cry of a man calling something into the night, although what he was yelling was indecipherable, distant and tangled in the wind.

The boy in his arms shivered a little in and Turns pulled him closer, uncertain if he had a chill or if it was an involuntary reaction to the surroundings. Turns could feel the heat of the kid's cheek pressed against his own and hear the soft, stuffy breaths slipping from the small nose.

"Are you sure this is the right way?"

The boy nodded and pulled apart from him briefly to point the way again before tucking his face back into the trooper's shoulder.

Turns eyed the path that lay before them suspiciously but continued. It wasn't much more than a ribbon of shadows tucked between two rundown living complexes. He didn't fancy the thought of calling either of the structures home, and found himself not being too keen on the idea of anyone, let alone a child for that matter, living there either.

But when he stepped into the small courtyard that lay nestled between them and the next row of housing, he found that feeling tempered somewhat.

Here, it seemed, someone had put some effort and care into the surroundings, and it looked and felt very much like an enchanted garden, small and misplaced and strange, but lovely.

There was a patch of grass that began at his feet, carefully tended and dotted with potted plants and a string of stepping stones which looped a small fountain. A long wooden table and benches lay to one side, covered with a plain cloth and a jar of flowers. Some stained flimsi- lanterns glowed softly from several posts, illuminating the walkway to the door of a building sandwiched between the others. The walls had been painted in a cheery fashion with stars and trees and a line of colorful linens and clothing fluttered softly beside.

There was also a young woman standing there, her hands cupped to her mouth and her back turned to them. Turns could see the outline of her shoulders shaking in obvious distress.

When she heard their approaching footsteps she spun around and froze, blinking at Turns in confusion for a second before her eyes registered the child in his arms.

Her hands dropped and she ran to meet them.

"Soru!"

The boy stretched out his arms to her and she took him from Turns, pulling him to her chest and wrapping her arms around him tightly.

They clung to eachother for a while before the woman broke the embrace to stare up at the man watching the reunion intently, and gave him a grateful smile.

She had wavy red hair pulled into a bun at the nape of her neck, and wore a simple grey dress that fell to her knees, her feet bare in the grass. She mouthed the words 'thank you' over the shoulder of the child in her arms.

Turns shook his head in slight embarassment. He hadn't done much , really. He was just glad to see the kid back home, safe and sound. He gave the woman a small, forced smile and turned to go, but she placed a hand on his arm and shook her head.

"Please come in. Just for a hot drink."

Turns hesitated. He really should've been heading back. Lex and the others were probably losing their collective gear by now. He felt an immense pang of guilt and then surprise at himself that such a strong emotion could've risen up within him.

But he had the strangest feeling that perhaps he had been led here for reason. He wasn't much of a believer in fate or destiny, but for some reason he felt drawn to go inside with this woman. Just as he had felt that spark to pursue the child.

The small boy was looking up at him, eyes dark and shining and pleading. He reached a little hand out to tug on Turn's sleeve.

The woman was still staring up at him hopefully and he gave her another small smile, genuine, and inclined his head.

She smiled brightly back at him. And then he was being pulled by the sleeve up the narrow path through the breeze-lit sheets and into the building with the fairy path before it and skies on its walls.

...

Lex was torn between action and inaction, seeking out answers to the unrelenting questions simmering in his mind, or letting things be, as the turn things had taken were undoubtedly positive.

It had been nearly two weeks since the night Turns had disappeared and then reappeared so changed, and not one of them had the heart to question too deeply what exactly had had such a profound effect on the private.

Lex found himself hesitant to seek answers. Although he had no knowledge of the what or why or how behind the change in Turns, he was hard-pressed to not be happy about it.

Now the private was speaking (albeit sparingly) and joining in the activities of his squad more frequently. The trooper no longer avoided others or made it a point to sit or stand apart, disappearing the moment his duties were completed. Now he lingered, quiet but calm and attentive. He'd even chuckled at an off colored joke tossed between brothers at the mess a few days ago. And he no longer cringed when his squadmates toussled him between them affectionately amid their usual banter and games.

Although this kind of play was often riddled with frustration on his part as their sergeant in charge of keeping them all in line, he was also grateful for the closeness which fueled their antics.

And he felt a silent relief in him that Turns finally seemed to be falling into that fold, however slowly and ackwardly.

Fox had picked up on the change and questioned him, but he had no answers to give the commander aside from a growing gladness. Fox seemed satisfied with that and didn't press further, although he smiled about it when he was told. Lex had caught him watching the trooper with his squadmates thoughtfully from time to time, a mixture of curiosity but also relief and a sense of satisfaction that ran deeper than the trooper himself, it seemed. That was the farther Lex spoke of it with him.

And he WAS glad.

But there came a night when Lex decided that it was both cautionary and appropriate to know just where one of his men was sneaking off to whenever he had the occasion. It wasn't that he didn't trust Turns or that he wasn't grateful , but he felt that as sergeant it was his job to be in the know of something so vital to the well-being of one of his men.

That was his reasoning anyway.

After following Turns at a discreet distance for some time, and taking in the appearance of his surroundings as he did so, Lex found himself questioning that validity.

Did he really need to know?

He glanced around warily, feeling his stomach drop a bit with each step. A tiny but real fear began to well up within him and his mind was leading him to imagine the worst.

Thoughts of illegal substances and dangerous and inappropriate relationships began racing through his mind and overtaking his thoughts. He let a breath of frustration pass his lips as he watched Turns take the walkway between two very unwelcoming and unkempt buildings.

If what he thought was going on was taking place, he'd have no choice but to put a stop to it. He cursed himself and the situation.

Would it have been better if he'd simply let things be?

A small chorus of excitement rose up ahead and Lex ducked behind some rubbish on the walkway immediately. He sat there listening raptly.

His helmet picked up the ringing of laughter, light and lilting up ahead and it piqued Lex's curiosity immensely. It was unmistakably the sound of children.

Lex found himself thoroughly confused now, his mind drawing a blank. He sat there for a long while listening to the jubilant chatter, picking out Turns' voice within the raucus, and a woman's.

After a bit the voices died down and there was the sound of a door sliding open and then closed, before silence.

Lex rose to his feet slowly, looking around before making his way to the opening of the passage and then peering beyond. What he saw was nothing like he had imagined, and he stood there, speechless, taking it all in.

He had no idea how long he stood there, but was brought back to reality by a hand coming down lightly on his shoulder from behind. He spun around quickly, one arm raised instinctively in defense and the other gripping the handle of his blaster.

The man who had clasped his shoulder took a quick step back and looked at him in surprise. After blinking in confusion at him for a few moments he caught sight of the small insignia on the side of the sergeant's helmet and then smiled apologetically.

"Ah, sorry!I thought you were Turns. Are you looking for him?"

Lex scrutinized the man from behind his visor before answering. He was about his height and looked to be in his mid-twenties. He had short red hair and a friendly look about him Not someone Lex could honestly picture dealing or participating in illicit activities.

A tiny bit of relief began to work its way into his chest and he let it blossom into the stirrings of hope there. Maybe the situation wasn't as dire as he originally thought. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"Uh, yes. Is he here?"

"Should be. He usually comes about now." The man motioned with his head for Lex to follow. "I'm Navin, by the way."He keyed in the code for the door and moved to the side when it opened for Lex to step in.

Inside the door there was a small area with benches and hooks for clothing. On one side there were shelves that housed row after row of small shoes. Navin paused to slip off his boots and step into some house shoes before moving on through the doorway into the next room and gesturing for Lex to follow.

Past the foyer, they stepped into a large open room furnished sparcely but which had a warm and welcoming feel to it. The walls were a mellow orange and pale sheets draped across the ceiling and walls softened the look of the overhead lighting units. There was a long table with many chairs nestled in a small kitchen area to one side and many soft seating areas. Shelves and baskets with various books, paints, toys and cloths and blocks lay against the far walls. An alcove with with folded sleeping mats and linens and a rocking chair were off to their left.

A red-haired woman sat upon it, bouncing a baby on her lap, but she rose upon seeing them.

"I'll start some tea," she smiled warmly at them both and carried the little one in her arms to the kitchen with her.

Lex scanned the room in complete surprise, taking in the many children of various ages scattered about. Some were playing with the toys or each other, a few were huddled at the feet of an older child who sat on a chair telling a story.

In the far corner there was a group of children making a tower of large blocks between them. And, to Lex's surprise, also Turns, who had his back to him. There came a sudden cry of warning, and then dismay, and the tower toppled over. A round of laughter arose.

Turns chuckled and turned to leave the children to their play, seeing if Rhea or any of the other children might need help when he caught sight of Lex standing in the doorway.

They both froze, and Turns wasn't sure who looked more like they had been caught in the act of doing something inappropriate. He felt his mouth opening and closing but couldn't seem to get any words to come out. He couldn't imagine how ridiculous he looked to Navin, who looked between the two troopers curiously. Lex recovered a little quicker and raised a hand to give a small, embarrassed wave.

It was such an odd gesture to see his sergeant making that Turns finally broke the barrier of silence between them and laughed.

His laughter rang out loud and clear within the room and every little head in it turned to see what he was laughing about. The children followed his gaze and caught sight of the armored man standing in the doorway and they all quickly made a break for him. Turns chuckled harder as the children swarmed the sergeant who took a small step back and raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Er. Hey...there." Lex seemed completely unsure of how to handle the situation and he kept his hands raised, his helmet jerking from side to side as he watched the little hands that touched and pulled and ran curious paths along his armor.

"Alright, alright!" Navin laughed and clapped his hands, "That's enough you guys." He ushered them back to their play as Turns approached. He saluted but Lex was still watching the children. He observed them in their play for a bit before turning to Turns.

"This is where you've been disappearing to?" There was unconcealed wonder and incredulity in his voice. Turns gave him a small serene smile and looked out over the room. Lex followed the private's gaze and then returned his attention to the man standing beside him and studied him closely.

He opened his mouth to say something but Rhea was there, tapping them both on the shoulders and ushering them to the table. She placed a cup of tea before each of them before taking seat herself. The baby gurgled from her lap and Rhea wrapped an arm around her middle in support and gave her a small piece of fruit. She looked over at Lex.

"So, you're a friend of Turns?"

He had just taken off his helmet and was staring at the baby in her lap, but he looked up at her to answer. If she was she was in any way bothered at the similarity of their appearance she gave no show of it.

"Yes Ma'am."

"He's my sergeant." Turns offered helpfully, taking a sip of his tea. He wiggled the fingers of his other hand at the baby, who gave a little laugh.

"I'm Rhea. Nice to meet you." The young woman held a a hand out to Lex in greeting and he returned the gesture with a timid smile. "We're in Turns debt for bringing back Soru that night."

"It was nothing," Turns stared into the liquid in his cup, embarrassed. Lex glanced at him. So that's what happened?

"And he's been so helpful with the children. It's hard sometimes, but he's been great. We love having him."

"This is...a school?" Lex asked, eyeing his surroundings.

"Ah, no. We just take care of these little ones until they're old enough to attend and move to the group home there."

Rhea opened her mouth to say more but the timer on the baking unit beeped and she rose. "The rolls are done. Are you hungry? Here, take her for just a minute and I'll pull them out." She held out the baby for Lex to take, but he just looked at her with wide eyes and shook his head.

"Ma'am, I'm definitely not ...qualified for that." Rhea blinked at him in surprise before dissolving in a fit of giggles.

Turns stood and took the baby from her then, and she walked over to the oven, still giggling. The private cradled the baby in his arms with an ease that left his sergeant astounded. He looked at Turns incredulously.

"You know how to hold one of those?"

Turns laughed.

...

The rest of their squad was already in their dorm when Lex and Turns returned.

Trust and Hatch were playing a game of sabacc on an overturned crate and Surge was lounging on his bunk, tapping and swiping a holopad. Ravi was tucking his armor in the drawer beneath his bunk and he looked up at them, grinning.

"Hey! You two missed all the fun. Sarge, there was this guy on C level who..." A funny look crossed his face and then he eyed them suspiciously. "You smell like food. Not from the mess. Where were you guys?"

Lex just shook his head and they both began removing their armor. The others watched them for a few minutes before returning to what they were doing, except Ravi who leaned against the bunk and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You can tell us. We wont tell."

Lex sighed. "There's nothing to tell, Ravi."

"How about where you keep sneaking off to?" He raised an eyebrow and looked between them conspiratorially. "Come on, we don't care..."

Lex made to walk past him in the direction of the refreshers, ignoring him. Turns remained silent, staring resolutely at his boots as he undid the clasps.

"...that you're secret lovers."

Trust and Hatch both snorted in amusement and Surge rolled his eyes. Lex turned around to fix Ravi with an exasperated expression and Turns looked up at him from his boots.

Ravi shook his head and closed his eyes, waving his hands in front of himself in a placating manner.

"I'm not saying I care-"

"Are you jealous, Ravi?" Turns looked up at him with an innocent expression and Ravi gaped at him for a minute, blinking in shock. Lex chuckled.

Finally, the astounded private put his hands on his hips and grinned down at Turns.

"Hey! I knew it! You were a secret smart-shebs all along."

Turns shrugged and tucked the last bit of his armor in the drawer beneath. He made to stand but Ravi's arms wrapped around him and he was pulled against him and into a bone-crushing hug on the floor.

"Now Sarge is going to have to be jealous because I'm keeping you!"

Lex shook his head and stepped over them to head into the refresher.

"It'll be nice to hang out with someone else for a change. Don't tell anyone, but I think Surge gets tired of me sometimes."

"Never." Surge replied sweetly, his eyes not leaving the holopad in his hands. Ravi glared up at him and Turns started laughing. The others looked at him for a moment in surprise, and even Ravi stared down at him in puzzlement, before they all returned to what they were doing. Lex came back from the refreshers and sat down beside Trust and Hatch to take up a hand of his own. After another minute Ravi released Turns and gave him an amiable swat on the shoulder before standing and heading over to join in the sabacc game with the others.

Turns climbed into his bed and lay down on his back, hands folded behind his head. He listened to the sounds of his brothers talking and joking and shuffling around him, and found himself smiling softly and enjoying the moment. And letting himself.


	7. Surge

Cozzizzie: I'm sorry! Haha ;) You know, in my head it was a lot darker, and then I wrote it and it came out so different. I had planned it to have a lot of very sad elements. Turns and his past. The siblings caring for the children were going to have a very tragic past also, and the kinship with them was what helped Turns cope and heal, in addition to time spent with the children. The boy that he brought back had a story as a survivor of the crash in the Lt. Shard chapter, and was placed in that home because he lost his family. The friendly trooper in the bar was Net. I had plans to bring him into Turns' storyline. Rabbit trails to follow later, I guess ;)

TGP212th: Thank you. I'm glad you like it :) I'm such a sucker for sappy stories, heh ^_^

This chapter is definitely rated teen for...romantic reasons. I'm not great at writing anything explicit, but- a heads up!

...

"Miss Aiya."

Hatch looked down at her through his visor and she could hear the surprise and concern in his voice. Trust caught sight of her and walked over, stopping beside them and crossing his arms over his chest and tilting his head curiously.

"Is everything alright?" He asked.

"Ah, yes. I'm fine. Everything's ok. I just have to head home early. I wanted to let you guys know so you aren't watching for me tonight." She smiled and shifted her table on her shoulder before turning to go.

"Do you want someone to walk with you? Let me call someone..."

"It's ok." She smiled at them both. "Its the middle of the day, and Bennon hasn't shown his face in weeks. Thank you, though."

"What about your table?" Hatch pointed at it, offering a hand to take it from her.

Aiya laughed. "If you guys never give me a chance to carry it I'm not going to be able to some day."

"That's not a problem. We'll just keep carrying it for you," Trust shrugged.

"It's fine. Promise." She gave them both a friendly smack on the arm. "I've got to go now, though. Loreen is sick and Oma needs some help with the shop today."

And then she hurried off before more could be said, the two troopers left looking after her as she went.

...

That evening Aiya was wiping down the last of the tables after closing when the door chimed and someone stepped inside.

"Sorry, we're close-" she looked up to the customer with a friendly smile but cut herself off when she saw who it was.

"Surge?" She blinked up at him in surprise. She could tell who he was by the medic's insignia on his shoulder plate, and he took off his helmet before inclining his head to her.

"Miss Aiya." He glanced around the shop as though looking for someone before returning his gaze to settle on her. "Is Miss Loreen here?Trust and Hatch said she was ill?"

"Yes, she's upstairs. She..." Aiya studied him curiously for a moment before a slow smile spread across her face. "Did you come to check on her?"

"Er, yes. Well, you said she was sick and I thought, I mean, the others thought...since I'm a medic and all..." He kept his eyes on the helmet in his hands as he muttered all of it, "We just wanted to make sure she's...doing ok."

Aiya blinked up at him before smiling gently. She placed the cleaning rag on the table and walked up to him, looping an arm in his, pulling him to the stairs at the back of the shop in a sly manner.

"She'll be so happy to see you. Come on."

...

Loreen was sitting up in bed reading a holo-novel when they walked into the room. She looked up at them with red-rimmed eyes, her hair hovering in unbrushed waves about her face, cheeks fever tinted. Her eyes widened at the sight of Surge and she dropped the holo-novel to pull the covers up to her shoulders.

"Aiya, what-"

"We're here to make you better!" Aiya said in a sing-song voice, hands clasped behind her in a posture or innocence. "Well, at least Surge is. I'm just here to poke fun at you." She looked up at the man beside her who had a faint tinge of color spreading across his face.

Loreen narrowed her eyes at Aiya, but after looking at Surge, started giggling. She wiped an arm over her face and let out a sigh.

"Fine. But you," she pointed at Aiya "need to leave." She raised an eyebrow and wiggled her fingers in a dismissing gesture at the other woman. Aiya feigned sadness and gave her a pouty face before turning to go. She was chuckling as she closed the door behind her.

Surge stood staring at the closed door for a minute, looking very awckward. He readjusted his helmet at his side several times before turning around to face Loreen.

She was watching him with her face in her hands and a small, hopeful smile.

"Did you really come down here to see me?"

Surge gave her a solemn nod and pulled out his med-kit. "Ma'am..."

"Loreen."

He blushed a little further but he looked her in the eyes and nodded again. "Miss Loreen, if I may?" He held out an arm, asking permission to approach.

Loreen raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "Of course, Surge. Do what you like with me." She leaned back in the pillows and closed her eyes for a second before looking at him in surprise. "Wait, woah. That came out wrong. Sorry." She grinned sheepishly up at him and saw the beginings of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He took out his medical scanner and did a pass.

"Are you taking anything?"

"Just this." She leaned over to reach for a bottle on the nightstand and handed it to him. "It's nothing too crazy or anything. Just the fever and stuffy sinuses."

Surge was scanning the back of the bottle and frowned in thought. After a moment he began rummaging through his med kit and pulled out a hypo. He looked over at her.

"Your temperature is a little high. This won't counteract or conflict with the medicine you took. I'm going to give it to you for the fever, ok?"

She nodded and he reached over to put a hand on one side of her face, steadying her head as he injected the hypo into the side of her neck. He was so swift and skilled she barely felt it before she heard the shussh sound of it being applied and it was quickly removed.

But she did feel the cool of his fingers beneath the material of his gloves on her face, and she raised a hand to cup her own around his. She leaned into his touch, and closed her eyes.

"You feel so nice right now."

Surge froze, the spent hypo hovering in his other hand mid-gesture of placing it back in his kit. He was completely unsure of how to react, but settled on just holding still and watching, not wanting to disturb her. She had a very peaceful expression on her face.

After a minute she sighed and opened her eyes to give him a smile of gratitude. She released his hand and he let it drop to his side, still watching her intently.

"Thank you for coming. I do feel a bit better already." She smiled up at him with kind but tired eyes. He nodded and placed the hypo back in his kit before standing.

"You're welcome, Miss Loreen." He reached down to straighten the covers over her as she settled back down against the pillows and gathered his helmet from the nightstand. He rose to go but she caught his hand.

"Please come again? When I'm not sick." She gazed up at him hopefully.

He gave her a small smile in return.

"Of course."

...

A few weeks later they both sat on the balcony, sipping some hot chocolate and staring up at the dappled orange and grey of the sky. The sound of distant speeders hummed over and between the buildings around them. A bubble of laughter rang out from some people passing by on the street below.

Surge's foot was tapping in time with the song on the radio that drifted out to them from within the shop. Loreen ran a hand lightly over the blossoms along the railing of the balcony and sighed, letting her head fall back to pick up the beats of the song as well. Surge watched the long dark waves of her hair fall down the back of her blouse as she did so, and couldn't keep himself from staring.

He'd thought she was beautiful the very first night he'd met her after walking Aiya home, and found her deeply lovely when she had lain in bed, pressing his hand to her cheek. But now that he'd had the chance to get to know her by more than just her smile and mischievous eyes, he found her breath-taking. The smog-wrapped glow of the night lit up her face, calm and peace, and her hair shone, soft and bright, waves falling over her shoulders. She glowed.

She seemed to sense him looking at her and opened her eyes , turning to smile at him.

"See something you like?" She teased.

He smiled and shook his head, looking out at the street below. She had no idea...

Then he felt her arm wrap around his shoulders and he looked up to see her standing over him, staring down at him impishly.

"Well, I do."

She pulled him into the shop before he could respond.

It was quiet inside, a few candles lit and the soft waves of music slipping from the radio. The others were at Aiya's house for the evening, so they were alone. Loreen led him over to the sofa and pulled him down to sit with her. She leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder for a few minutes, eyes closed again and listening to the music. He smiled and wrapped an arm around her to settle in. He liked it when she did this, cuddled up beside him, sitting in quiet. He could feel her heart against his arm and her hair was soft and silk on his cheek. He closed his eyes and savored it.

But then he felt a hand on his cheek and opened his eyes to see her looking up at him. She stared at him for a minute before a slow smile slipped across her face and her eyes fell to her hand as it traced a path down the side of his face. Still looking at him, she placed her hand on his chin and then ran her thumb over his lips.

After this she sat back and stared at him curiously. She tilted her head.

"Surge, do you want to kiss me?"

His eyes widened and he sputtered. He could feel the heat blossoming on his cheeks. "Loreen, I..." He couldn't remember a time since he'd met her that he hadn't wanted to.

She was still studying him, her head to one side. Her eyes were panning his face and finally came to stop on his eyes.

"Can I kiss you, then?"

Loreen heard him draw in a breath, but he still couldn't seem to find his voice. She watched him close his eyes in frustration at himself before letting out a breath and nodding. He opened his eyes to fix her with an embarrassed, and somewhat cheeky, grin.

Loreen laughed.

And then she kissed him.

She pulled him close and kissed him with the full passion of her longing that had been there since the day she'd been sick. She could still feel the cool of his touch on her cheek, although with the passing of time it had come to be a blaze that had lingered there, seething and simmering and filling her with a longing that burned when he was around.

She found that his touch was more steady and reliable than his words. His hands passed over her arms and down her sides in long, confident caresses. Firm but gentle, soft but focused and deep and warm. He slid a palm to her back and pulled her to him as his hand slipped up her backbone. They both shuddered when their bodies met front to front.

And then they were on the floor, rolling and kissing and wrapping themselves around each other, hands running paths over one another and tangling in each others hair until their fingers were singing and their bodies hummed. They continued until Surge puled away suddenly.

His breathing was quick and ragged.

"I...need to...stop. I can't..." He closed his eyes, as though he was trying to ground himself. He looked down at her, eyes desperate."If we keep going...I need to..."

"...Do more than kiss?" She offered, equally breathless. She pulled him back down against her and he moaned softly into her hair. She grinned and began easing her blouse up and over her head.

"So do I."

...


	8. Ravi

Thank you for your review Cozzizzie. Whenever I see the notice in my inbox I get so dorkily happy, lol. I shall, I shall (follow those trails some day). ^_^

I hope you guys like this one.

...

.

The crowd loomed before them, a hissing, shouting, screaming fray and they raised their riot shields as it spilled through the barriers and made contact. The permacrete squeaked beneath their boots as they were pressed back, and the plastoid of their shields rang high and loud, humming with the pounding of blows.

They struggled to maintain their ground and keep the citizens at bay within the parameters of force they were allowed to use. Better trained and with more strength than the average rioter, they were formidable in this endeavor, but not overly successful. They stood only four hundred strong against thousands.

Fox's voice crackled over their comms, calm but spoken in breaks, and they could tell that he too was in the thick of it.

"Hold the lines. Stop up those breaks! Hold out long enough...and they'll disperse. They don't have the stamina to keep this up." There was a sudden grunt and a clatter, then a huff of indignation in their ears. "Disable the crazy barves if necessary."

"Sir? Are you giving us permission to beat up civvies?" Ravi brought his shield up to meet the arms of a man raising an alloy rod above his head to strike. The lip of it caught the man below the elbows and he bellowed in pain, before he and the weapon were quickly swallowed up by the crowd. "Because I don't think they're keen on exchanging sweet nothings and flowers."

"Disable. I don't care how you do it."

"Copy that."

Surge put his weight behind his shield and rammed into a cluster of rioters bearing down on him. They stumbled back like a chunk of bricks plucked from a wall and were buoyed by the those at their backs for a moment, before smashing into one another and tripping over the feet of their fellows.

"Imaginary thumbs up!" Ravi swung his shield up and into a man's face, sending him sprawling back onto the permacrete, the crowd parting in his wake.

"Ravi! Disabling blows only!"

"That was."

"He'll get trampled!"

"He was waving a vibroblade around like a short-circuited tinnie! Him or the ten people around him he almost nicked."

Surge couldn't argue too much with that so he went back to buffeting the blows raining down on him. No matter how many he rebuked, more came at them.

"Maintain! Maintain!"

Ravi heard Fox's cry and jerked his head just in time to see a portion of the line give. He saw two troopers fall like the splintering of a dam, the crowd becoming a tide, rushing in to fill the gap with a swell of its fury.

And then the remains of the line shattered like a flimsi-kite snapping in the wind, shreds of it scattering in all directions.

Once surrounded, the shields proved nearly useless, tying up arms and mobility while freeing up backs for blows. Many were discarded, although a few clusters of troopers remained that had found safety in small circles of their own, backs against brothers. The rest of the Coruscant guard were resorting to hand to hand combat against their attackers, trying to hold onto some semblance of formation.

Ravi repositioned his shield in his arms and swung it in wild arcs at those approaching. The maneuverability was terrible, but he got a few good blows in by treating it as close to an electrostaff as he could manage.

If only he had an elctrostaff...

Some politician with his head in the atmo had decided it would present a better image if the Guard were unarmed throughout the duration of the protest, and had authorized only riot shields in the case of things turning rowdy.

Which it had, of course.

A protest against the GAR's unnecessary use of force in the war, which had, in the end, turned out to be an excuse for the crowd to use their own.

Ravi shook his head of it. It was pointless to try and make sense of it or the questionably sane people around him, so he stuck with what he did know.

Trying to not die that day.

A few rioters swarmed him and took hold of the shield, attempting to wrench it away from his grasp. He brought it down sharply and jumped over it, swinging a leg out and knocking them back. They fell to their knees as their assault was taken up by others and Ravi brought his arms up in a position of self defense. He circled slowly, trying to keep his eyes on each one without leaving an opening by which they could overrun him. He was no longer worried about playing nicely, and had no illusion he'd be shown mercy on their end.

He fought for long minutes, time measured by blows and dodges, circling and tracking. Arms ready and eyes sharp. The movement between him and his enemies was a dance of close and far, engaging or watching, their bodies against his or at his feet.

Then a cry of pain resounded over his comm, sudden and sharp, and he saw Surge struck down by a blow to the side of his head out of the corner of his visor. The medic hit the permacrete on his back and didn't get up.

Ravi turned on his heels and pushed and shoved his way through the crowd, previous opponents forgotten and ignoring the blows that rained down on his back. A few rioters, one woman and two men lingered around Surge, even as he lay motionless on the ground, still kicking and peppering the fallen medic with blows.

Ravi caught hold of the back of the woman's shirt and pulled her off bodily before shoving her into the crowd. One of the men raised the bit of scrap he held to deliver another blow to Surge, but Ravi caught it and slammed a knee into the man's chest and head-butted him hard enough to spill blood as he doubled over. The last man closed in, his eyes wide with the rage and craze of the riot washing over him, lost to the senseless fury in the air. Ravi raised the scrap piece, fully prepared to club him with it, before the man was struck from behind and collapsed in a crumpled heap at his feet.

The private looked up to see Lex there, standing heavily on one foot, a CSF stun baton in one hand. His other hand was pressed to his left thigh plate, and Ravi could see the jagged edges of the armor beneath, the sergeant's leg dripping blood trails down his shin.

They both fell to their knees beside the medic, and through fortune or fear, those around them were keeping a small distance for the time being.

Ravi removed Surge's helmet which had taken a heavy blow to the side and had left the visor distinctly cracked. He put a hand to his friend's neck for a pulse, heart in his throat and swallowed, eyes squeezing shut.

It was there.

Lex and Ravi both let out a shared breath of relief and Lex leaned over to inspect the wound at Surge's temple. It wasn't bleeding too badly and after Ravi removed a few jagged pieces of visor caught in the cut, he determined it wasn't deep. No immediate danger due to bleeding, but it was anyone's guess how bad the head trauma was.

He looked up to say as much to Lex, but was interrupted by a woman in a CSF uniform falling to a crouch beside them. The crowd around them was slowly dissipating, or at least moving away from them, and Ravi was shocked but relieved to see none made a move to stop the woman's approach. She glanced at them both briefly, a quick assessment with her eyes before she pulled open her bag and began scanning Surge. She read the readings carefully before pulling out some antiseptic and applying it to Surge's forehead.

"He has a concussion but no readings of internal bleeding or pressure. Can't tell much more than that until he wakes up, but if we're lucky he'll be just fine when he does."

After patching up Surge, the woman's eyes fell on Lex and she looked at him through narrow eyes.

"I told YOU to stay put." She huffed as she shoved his hand away from his leg and peeled the thigh plate off. To his credit, Lex didn't cry out when she did it but his voice was tight with pain when he answered her.

"Sorry, Ma'am. Saw my guy go down."

"You were already down yourself. And you NICKED my baton."

"You had another."

The woman gave him a look that was a cross between exasperation and a glare. She pulled the material of his suit back away from the wound and sprayed it with a numbing antiseptic before peering closely at it.

"You've got some plastoid shards in there. Hold on, I'm going to have to get them out."

Lex nodded, closing his eyes briefly against the pain as she began before reopening them and assessing the situation around them. Ravi followed his gaze and took in the crowd.

By the looks of things the CSF had finally arrived and jumped into the fray, and with their help and the weapons they possessed, progress was being made towards crowd control. It seemed the rioters had begun to disperse, although pockets of altercations still lingered, eddies in the drawl of the tide.

Ravi looked back at his sergeant and Lex handed him the stun baton, making a shoo gesture with his hands.

"Don't do anything stupid, Ravi," he said, his eyes passing over the still form of Surge. "No clever ideas. I want you all back in the barracks tonight."

"Sure thing, Sarge. " He turned to go then paused and looked back over his shoulder. "I am going to tell Turns you're a two timer, though." Ravi wiggled his eyebrows and looked purposely at the woman patching up his sergeant's leg.

Lex flipped him a finger and the woman caught sight of the movement and looked between them, confused. She hadn't heard any of the remarks that passed in their helmets. Lex quickly tucked his hand into the crook of his other arm and crossed his arms over his chest with a jerk of his head to tell Ravi to get going.

Ravi chuckled as he walked away, glad of the feel of the baton in his hand, and headed straight for a guy who looked like he was giving a couple CSF officers a hard time.

He suddenly found himself in the mood to give someone a very hard time of his own.

...

A few, rather one-sided, disabling sessions later, Ravi could see patches of the public square's ground that were no longer covered with people, standing or otherwise.

A long line snaked up a queue of those being processed by the local authorities for their participation in the riot, and the Coruscant Guard and CSF officers alike were corraling offenders in, or sending lingering onlookers on their way.

A few knots of discord remained, overflow that had spilled into the side streets off the square, and Ravi headed for one, rolling a sore shoulder as he walked. As exciting as the day had been, he was beginning to really feel it now that the adrenalin rush had passed, and he looked forward to getting a chance to check on Surge and everyone else.

He caught sight of Trust and Hatch still kicking and punching their way around a ring of rioters surrounding them and snorted. They were outnumbered, but not overpowered, and were subduing most of the offenders with slow and half-hearted blows. Ravi could see the tiredness in their movements, but also the enjoyment there of finally getting to use their training against someone besides each other.

They nodded to Ravi as he stepped in to join them, back to back and bringing the baton up in front of him and gesturing for a rather miffed looking man to come at him.

Ravi disabled him with a blow to the head, his eyes on the next attacker before the first man even hit the ground. The second man, although in appearance less menacing, was a better fighter by far. Ravi found himself having to dodge as much as he attacked, and actually becoming winded. Which only served to piss him off. He was growing weary of it all now. The protest, the fighting, the rioters which were out of their fekking minds.

The man lunged at him, causing Ravi to stumble backwards and lose hold of the baton. But the private had been trained for this his whole life and responded in kind, finally catching hold of the man and hurling him into a few of the onlookers. He sailed into a few of them, taking that part of the line down with him. Ravi watched the man get to his knees and spit out some blood, wiping a hand across his mouth as he rose. The people around him were backing away from him as they rose to theirs.

A girl from crowd used the distraction to suddenly make a charge at Ravi herself, and she collided with his chest in a flurry of screams and fists.

He blinked down at her for a second, caught off guard. He only had time to register that she had large dark glasses and she looked both angry and that her eyes and cheeks were pink from crying, before a shout arose from behind her and his eyes refocused on the man. With a loud cry, he came charging at Ravi again.

Ravi saw that the man now held a blade, long and thin and high, and he spun on instinct, putting his back to the attack and pushing the girl swiftly out of the way. She stumbled into Hatch, who was caught off balance by the collision and they both toppled into Trust. He faltered but recovered enough to prevent them them all falling over.

The shriek of the blade as it skimmed down the back of his armor made Ravi cringe, but he was otherwise unharmed by the blow. If he hadn't turned, the girl would've been undoubtedly slashed by the blade, though.

For some reason that really pissed Ravi off at that moment.

The man had backed away again, lingering just out of reach and bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet.

Ravi began circling, hands up and eyes locked on the blade.

The rest of the crowd had halted in their pursuit of a fight to watch the two men between them go at it.

"Need any help, Ravi?" Trust asked.

He had one eye on them and the other on the remainder of the crowd in case they decided to try anything. Hatch had moved the girl away from the fight, and stood watching Ravi with a hand on his hip and the other on the girl's shoulder. She had her hands cupped to her mouth and was looking dazed.

" Not even a little bit."

...


	9. Ravi pt2

TGP212th: The riot began as a protest over the GAR's tactics, with everyone attending having their own beef with the GAR for various reasons. I give one woman's story in this chapter, hope it makes sense. No worries about any wording goofiness! I do it all the time. :) We only have internet available on our phones where we live, so I type everything up on mine, which takes a long time and I make so many mistakes.

Spacing out the chapters is helping!

Cozzizzie: I was just finalizing this when I got your review. Here you go ;)

...

Ravi focused on the man's eyes, but kept the blade that danced between his fingers in his peripheral vision. You could tell a lot about most people's intentions just by clocking the nuances within eyes and this man's were no different or less telling. The gleam in them had altered after the failure of his last attack, and were now a mixture of weighed options and calculation.

The armor Ravi wore wasn't penetrable by the blade he possessed, so the area of attack was limited. And the trooper was as nimble, if not more so, than he.

"You coming or what, sunshine pants?"

Ravi kept his arms up in a defensive position, ready to receive his opponent's advance, but he tilted his head to the side and jeered the words.

The waves of frustration and indignation practically radiated off the man, but he held his ground. Just barely.

Ravi grinned beneath his helmet, enjoying the rise he was getting out of his opponent. It didn't seem to take much, and the private had plenty more where that came from. He could be REALLY annoying if he wanted to.

He opened his mouth to make a snide comment about the man's questionable choice in footwear, when the shot of a blaster cracked through the air right behind him.

'What are you lot doing?"

All three troopers started and turned. Commander Thorn stood in the opening of the alley, his head swiveling to regard each one of them in turn before scanning the crowd. His arm was still raised, blaster pointed to the sky. He reholstered the weapon before putting a hand on his hip and pointing an accusing finger at them.

"You're supposed to be clearing and containing, not starting ring-fights. Get to it."

They stared at him for a moment before Trust spoke. "Didn't know you were planet-side, Sir. Are weapons authorized?"

"Just got back. And they are now."

He unclipped a set of binders from his utility belt and tossed them to Ravi.

"Bring that one in." He gestured to the man with the blade.

Ravi heaved a sigh, but dropped his defensive stance to step towards the man, flicking the binders open with his thumbs and motioning for him to lay his wrists out.

The man gave him a look that said he thought the private had completely lost his mind, before cold fury clouded his face and he lifted the blade to strike.

...But it fell from his hands and he collapsed face-first on the permacrete as Commander Thorn's stun round hit him in the chest.

"Nice shot, Commander!" Ravi nudged the prone form with the toe of his boot.

"Didn't think he was that stupid...would've been cooler if you hadn't used a stun round though."

Thorn gave him a long, measuring once over.

"Take him to the complex. You all-" Thorn pointed a finger at the remaining people around them, pausing to look at each face in turn, before crossing his arms over his chest, "beat it."

They snapped to obey, filtering out of the alley and scattering across the square and Thorn followed with one last look over his shoulder and a small, agitated shake of his head.

The three troopers exchanged glances before their attention fell on the girl who remained in Hatch's grasp, her hands still covering her face. He released her shoulder and waved a hand, signaling for her to clear off as well.

"Better get going, too."

She pulled her hands away from her face and glared up at him.

"I won't do ANYTHING you say."

Hatch took an involuntary step back, shocked at the venom in her voice. He lifted his hands in a placating manner.

"Easy, Ma'am."

She stood shaking, hands rolled into fists at her side and glowering between him and Trust.

"With respect Ma'am, we're just asking you to clear off," Trust offered, trying to diffuse her temper.

But his words only seemed to infuriate her further.

"Clear off?! It's your fault she left. You ruin...everything!" She made to charge at him but Ravi grabbed her from behind, hoisting her kicking and thrashing, into the air.

"You two sure have a way with the ladies." She was squirming and fighting his hold, battering any part of his body within reach, but without enough force to do any damage. "Guess she's coming with us."

He glanced over his shoulder at the form lying on the ground behind him and back to Trust and Hatch.

"My date's cuter than yours."

The tilt of their helmets told him they were rolling their eyes.

"You're lucky you're holding a girl right now, ner vod," Hatch replied dryly as he brushed past and stooped to retrieve the binders Ravi had dropped. He looked around for the stun baton which had flown from Ravi's grasp during his fight with the man, but it was nowhere to be found. Someone in the crowd must've pocketed it.

He secured the man's arms behind his back before he and Trust lifted him between them and they all headed back to the complex.

...

Juni squirmed in the soldier's grasp, wriggling and twisting and huffing with everything she had as he carried her across the square. He either didn't feel it or didn't care, unresponsive and unfazed by it all.

Nearly at the complex, he finally spoke to her.

"You know, if you keep acting like this, they're going to put you in a cell with the crazy ones. Not the safest place to be, Ma'am." He stopped at the edge of the street to look both ways before continuing on.

She settled a little, considering his words. His tone hadn't been cruel, the words not spoken as a threat, but more as an honest warning.

She cast a glance at those they passed who were also being taken into custody. Most looked like ordinary citizens, but there were a few characters that made her cringe. Just a bit.

She let out a breath and tried to will the fight within her to subside. It was surprisingly easy, as once she stilled her thrashing she found herself almost entirely spent.

Ravi felt her go lax in his arms, bringing her hands up to cover her face once more and he could feel her sobbing. Despite her frantic behavior she was still capable of seeing reason, at least regarding what he said.

That, or she had finally spent the rage within her.

Inside the complex, there was barely space to move, and he looked around, not really sure of what to do with her now that they were here. Trust and Hatch peeled off to the left at the signal from a CSF officer once they entered. Ravi spied Fox in one corner gesturing with his arms and fought his way over.

Fox caught sight of Ravi and stared at him for a minute before shaking his head.

"I'm not even going to ask where you've been or what you've been doing, but if she needs to be processed, take her to the waiting area in D-4."

"Any word on Surge and Sarge, sir?"

"Both in medical. You can go check on them and grab a bite after you drop her her off. Come back down here afterwards, we've got a long night ahead."

Ravi nodded and made his way to the D block passage. He stopped at the door of the waiting area and set the girl down on her feet, hoping she wouldn't become fiery again. She didn't, and the trooper guarding the door nodded to him as he stepped to the side and let them enter.

Ravi guided the girl to an empty seat and gestured for her to sit down. She did without protest, tucking her legs up to her chin and wrapping her arms around them.

"Wait here. Someone will be along to process you, ok?"

She nodded numbly.

Juni could feel the weight of the soldier's stare before he turned to go. And out of the corner of her eye she watched him pause to give her a backwards glance at the doorway, before he stepped into the hallway and was gone.

...

An hour later Ravi found himself walking back down the hallway to the waiting area, a holopad in one hand and with orders to process and clear as many people as possible.

He had found Lex and Surge, who had woken up, and both seemed to be doing fine. Turns had been there as well, with a broken arm, and he'd stayed to chat with them while trading stories of the riot and downing a rations bar.

But now it was back to work. The un-fun kind. He frowned, twirling the holopad's stylus in his fingers as he walked. He wondered if the girl he had brought was still there.

He stepped into the waiting area and found that it had thinned out somewhat. He looked for the girl and found her still sitting where he'd left her, although now she sat solemnly, with her hands in her lap and staring dazedly out the window.

Juni was watching the citizens outside, some in line, others walking by on the street as though they didn't see their surroundings, some stopping to stare, some muttering. It seemed like a different world than a couple hours prior. Orderly and calm, no longer hate and screaming and chaos.

How contagious that had been.

She had come to the protest that morning with a heart freshly smarting and anger bubbling inside her, but she hadn't really planned on losing herself so completely. She hadn't anticipated the protest turning to ire, or how easily it had loosed a chord in her soul.

"Hey! You're still here."

Juni looked up to see the same soldier who had carried her in staring down at her. He had a scrawl of paint on the side of his helmet that looked like a small 'x' that she remembered.

He waved the holopad in his hand and gestured to it with his other.

"You can come with me and we'll get you processed out of here. If you're not opposed to me being the one doing it?"

Juni stared at him for a minute, confused. His tone was friendly... and he was giving her a choice? Did that mean he had chosen to come back to her?

The person who was flat out wailing on him and screaming in his face just a bit ago?

She felt very ashamed then, and nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

He held out a hand for her to take, and she took it, letting him pull her to her feet and then following him out of the room and through the building.

He led her to a small room off the same hallway furnished with a single table with a chair on either side. He gestured for her to sit and then took the other chair across the table or himself.

She watched as he pulled off his helmet and set it to the side before laying the holopad on the desk. He propped an elbow on the table and rested his chin in his hand, tapping the 'pad a few times with the stylus.

A form appeared on the screen and he tapped the first square, his other arm falling to hold it in place.

"First name?"

She didn't answer and he looked up at her. She was staring at his face with a look of unease. He blinked at her before smiling.

"You won't have to look at me for too long if you answer." He joked.

She sucked in a breath and shook her head.

"Sorry. It's Juni."

"Last name?"

"Hoylin."

"Age?"

"22."

He squinted at her. "Really?"

She sighed and gave a meek chuckle, running a hand through her ponytail in a habitual way.

"Really."

He grinned at her and continued.

"Occupation?"

"I...work part time at the University's library."

"Are you a student there?"

She nodded and he filled it in.

"Address? I promise not to send you flowers."

She felt the corners of her mouth lifting and shook her head. "Dorm at the University."

He paused at the next square, tapping the stylus against the desk a few times before asking, "Reason for attending the...protest?" He had almost said riot, but seemed to change his mind.

She stared at the desk for a a few minutes before answering.

"My friend...she ...her family lives on a planet recently overtaken in the war. The soldiers there, they..."she paused to glance uncertainly up at Ravi, as though she was searching his face for something, before looking away and at the wall.

"The villagers were made to leave. They weren't asked or allowed to take much. They were just...kicked out. Kicked out of their own homes. So their village could be turned into a base for the GAR." She looked up at Ravi. " It wasn't a danger zone. Not even close. They didn't have to leave!" Her face became angry for a moment before it faded and was replaced by sadness. "They lost...everything. Their home and land. Their livelihood. They have nothing left now."

She ran a finger along the edge of the table, her jaw trembling.

"She had to leave. This morning. She couldn't attend the university any more. They have no way of paying the dues. She had to go back to her family and hope they can find someplace to stay. I don't...know when or if I'll see her again. She was like a sister to me, and now she's gone."

Juni let her hands fall to her lap and she stared at them for a long time. She could feel the soldier staring at her, but he said nothing. His hand hovered over the square, but he didn't enter anything, just watched her.

She sucked in a breath, willing herself not to start bawling again.

"Sorry." She whispered. She swallowed and spoke to the desk. "I went because I was angry at the GAR and its soldiers. Because I wanted to do something about it. I wanted to protest and I wanted to be heard. And listened to. I don't know how, or what I was expecting. But...I didn't want what happened. I didn't anticipate that. And I didn't...expect...to go crazy."

She looked up at him again, shame in her eyes and regret in the line of her mouth. Her eyes passed over his face again and she brought her hands to her mouth.

She heard the screech of his chair as he pushed it back to stand and walked over to her. He reached down and took one of her hands into his and fumbled with something at his belt.

Juni closed her eyes, expecting the cold plastoid of binders to encircle her wrists.

But the soldier placed something on the table and knelt beside her, holding her hand up and rummaging around in the box he had set down with his other hand.

She looked down at him, confused. "What're you...?"

"Got it!" He said triumphantly, and she watched him unravel a roll of binding cloth one-handed. He looked up at her. "Hold still while I wrap this, ok?"

Juni was too shocked to move, so she sat still as he asked, while he wrapped her hand. She watched the bruises on it disappear beneath the bandages as he did so. He did it with a steady efficiency which led her to believe he had done it many times before, although she got the impression he was doing it much more delicately than he was used to.

When he was finished, he placed that hand back in her lap and reached for the other one, balancing it across his knee as he reached for more bandaging.

"I had no idea they were so...I mean, I just..." She held up her bandaged hand and stared at it incredulously. "I guess I hit a lot of people."

The soldier started chuckling and looked at her for a moment before returning his attention to her hand.

"...she said so crazily, yet cutely."

She stared down at him for a moment in shock before beginning to laugh. She laughed for a few minutes while he finished wrapping.

When he was done he let go of her hand and sat back down on the floor, a leg out in front of him and an arm on his other knee. He grinned at her.

"Cute when she smiles, too."

She stared at her hands, then fixed him with a small grin of her own, before her face fell and she looked at him sadly.

"I can't imagine what you must think of me. Acting like I did, you must think I'm a loonie."

The soldier blinked at her for a moment before shrugging.

"Everyone's a little crazy about something."

She stared down at him, considering his words. Then she shook her head. "No, that's not a good reason." She reached out a hand to run her fingers over the bruises on the side of his face that she had been staring at earlier.

"I'm so sorry."

He shook his head and stood, walking back to the other side of the table and sitting down. He picked up the holopad and stylus.

"What're you going to write?" She asked as he began scrawl in something in the box.

"That you came to see me, of course."

He looked over at her like it was a ridiculous question to ask. When he finished writing, he slid the pad over to her.

"Needs your signature at the bottom."

She took the stylus he was holding out to her suspiciously, and glanced down at the display, slipping her eyes over the answer boxes.

Reason for attending:

Justifiable concerns regarding GAR procedure. Loss.

Charge(s)/Action to be taken:

None.

...

Haha, what am I doing? That didn't turn out as planned at all.


	10. Net

Guest: Thank you. :) I'm glad you liked how it ended up. I had planned Ravi's chapters to be the ones where I focused on his squad and their dynamics, and I ended up making Turns' story more about that, and giving Ravi someone to flirt with lol.

It's so funny, when I got my phone my husband asked if I wanted a keyboard for it, and I told him I'd never use it...ha. Time to revisit that. ^_^

...

Net

.

.

"Check that one out. We'll take the next." Steel swept a hand over the doorway and held up two fingers, pointing inside. Net and Fetcher peeled away from the rest of the squad, who continued down the corridor and stepped inside.

The room was in no better shape than the hallway had been, the walls and flooring cracked and curling from the heat and smoke.

They picked their way carefully across the splintering surface that groaned beneath their feet and scanned it with their displays. Fetcher tapped the side of his visor and shook his head.

"These readings are useless. Everything's hot in here. I can almost see better without the filtering."

"Can't navigate the smoke without it. Try it and see how far you get. I'm not coming to your rescue if you trip over a chair." Net caught movement out of the corner of his visor and zoomed in on it, but it was only the remains of a desk shifting with heat, sending up a final plea of sparks.

"Well, that's not very nice. I'd rescue you from a chair."

"Nothing in here." Net pointed to a door at the far side, "Maybe someone made it to the stairwell from this level. Let's check it out."

The landing was choked with plumes, but marginally cooler. Empty. Net commed Steel, waving a hand to disperse the smoke before his visor.

"Nothing. Heading up the to the last level."

"Copy."

"Race you to the top?" Fetcher joked. His helmet was tilted upwards, and he peered up between the lines of the stairs, a finger tapping his visor as he switched between views on his HUD. "Really hot up there. If there's anyone, I don't think ..."

"Gotta check." Net began the climb and Fetcher followed.

They paused at the top of the landing, watching the flames licking at the door on the other side through the small view piece on it.

Fetcher looked at Net and shrugged. "Gotta check." Net could hear the smile in his voice and shook his head, but he grinned in response at his companion's jovial perspective.

The rookie had only been placed with the squad a week an a half ago, but he was growing on Net. He had a cautious and incredibly observational outlook regarding any task they performed, often pointing out or noticing things others did not. But he also never hesitated to disregard those things to do what was asked of him.

They kicked the door down together and began sweeping the room. They didn't find anyone there, and Net let out a breath of relief. The rookie had been right, if anyone had been here, they wouldn't need to be rescued.

They were almost to the other side of the room when Lt. Shard's voice crackled over the comms.

"Found them. Everyone else, pull out now. No dallying."

Fetcher looked at Net. "Think they're alive?"

"The Lieutenant didn't call for medics. That's either a good sign or a bad one." The medic shrugged. " Nothing we can change by thinking on it right now". He looked over his shoulder at the room behind them and took hold of the banister.

"Come on. We'll take the main stairway back. No sense crossing that room again. We're on borrowed time already."

He'd only taken a few steps, Fetcher on his heels, when he heard a loud crack and raised his eyes to see the ceiling cracking above them, jagged lines spidering across the surface like crinkling flimsi. There wasn't time to move, or anywhere to go for that matter. He exchanged a quick glance with the younger trooper, who he heard take a sharp in breath over the comm.

"Fek."

...

Net awoke to a room that was pale green and tidy, sunlit from the window to his left, sheer curtains sweeping softly across the bed he lay in. He squinted in the light, lifting an arm to shade his eyes and sat up.

A muffled sound came from his right and the medic looked over to see Fetcher in a bed beside his. He had a breathing mask over his face and his eyes were on Net as he moved. He gave a small wave and tried to pull himself into a sitting position against the pillows at his back but only got halfway up before he fell into a coughing fit.

Net flung his legs free of the blankets and over the side of the bed. He stood to take a few steps across the room, but staggered as the sudden movement brought a wave of disbalance and a flash of light behind his eyes. He fell to his knees, dizzy, as his left arm surged with pain. He looked down at it confused, and found it bound and strapped tightly to his chest.

It came back to him then.

The building, the fire. The smoldering blaze within and the crumbling stairwell upon them.

Fetcher had stopped coughing, and he made a raspy noise in his throat, shaking his head at Net. He lifted a finger, telling him to get back in bed.

Net snorted and rose again. Slowly this time. He made his way to Fetcher's bed and sat beside him, eyes slipping over the readings on the vitals display beside the bed as he palpated the trooper's chest and neck with his free hand.

"Smoke?"

Fetcher nodded, wincing at the touch on his throat. He swallowed beneath Net's fingers and his eyes streamed a little with the pain.

Net looked around as he probed with his fingers, hoping to glean some answers to the questions bouncing around in his head from their surroundings. They were in a medical facility of sorts, although one Net wasn't familiar with.

A muted click came from across the room and they both raised their eyes to the door as it slid open.

A young woman in a medical uniform entered and blinked in surprise at them before a smile spread across her face and she approached the bed, setting down a set of linens as she did so.

"You're awake."

She stepped over to Net and looked into his face closely, gaze flitting between his eyes in study, then lifted up two fingers.

"How're you feeling? Follow my fingers with your eyes, please." She moved her fingers back and forth a few times and he did as she asked.

"Ma'am, where are we?"

She must've been satisfied with what she saw because she smiled at him and pulled a small holopad from her apron and jotted something down.

"This is the Highloft Medical Facility. We're not far from where you were." She put the pad away and chhecked the bandaging on his arm. "How's the pain?"

"It's fine. Broken?" He asked, looking down at his arm. She nodded.

"Clean break, though. Should heal quickly." She patted his arm, gesturing for him to scoot over so she could check on Fetcher. He did, and watched her go through many of the same motions he had, running hands along the sides of his neck and pasing a scanner over his chest.

She frowned at the readings it gave her, eyebrows knitting as she looked up at Fetcher. "Still hurts, right?"

Fetcher shook his head and she let out a breath of disbelief, catching sight of the streaks on his cheeks. She said nothing but stood and walked over to cabinets across the room, unlocking them with a keycard she wore around her neck. After a minute of rummaging, she closed the doors and returned with a hypo that she injected in his IV line.

"That should help a little. You tell me when that wears off, ok?"

Fetcher nodded mutely to the finger she pointed sternly in his direction.

Net laughed and the woman caught him in her gaze, placing her hands on her hips and giving him a once over.

"You're just as naughty. Getting out of bed before the doctor cleared you."

"I'm a medic, Ma'am."

"Of course you are." Her tone said she didn't believe him, and she pulled her 'pad from her pocket and tapped a few notes on the display. "I'll let Dr. Sane know you're awake. And I just put your meal orders in. They should bring it up in a short while."

She tucked the pad back in her apron and walked across the room, pausing at the doorway. Her hand was on the trim, and she stood staring at the numbers inscribed on the door for a moment before turning to look at Net over her shoulder.

"Thank you, for what you did." She spoke to Net but her eyes passed over Fecther as well. "Going in that building to rescue the fire crew. It was very brave. I think you're both...wonderful."

They both just blinked at her, unsure of how to respond, but she didn't seem to expect an answer, and gave them one last smile before stepping into the hallway.

...

Dr. Sane came into the room as they were eating and pulled up a chair to sit with them. He sat, elbows on his knees and chin on his folded fingers, chatting and checking them both over with an open friendliness and familiarity which positively baffled Net.

Accustomed to the rigid, subdued and sterile manner of kaminoan techs and the training and care they had received and been taught to give their entire lives, the civilian medical center and the bedside manners of the professionals therein were quite foreign to him.

The doctor touched them with hands ungloved, spoke to them, not of them, and preferred the answers they gave to the readouts provided by the monitoring display. He asked their names, their preferences in meals, inquired about hobbies, even threw in some bawdy jokes to get them laughing.

Net found himself lost and trying to make sense of the doctor's behavior, with no base of normalcy in this departmnt to draw parallels from. He wasn't quite sure it it all fell under the range of normal or if Dr. Sane was, in fact, a little...not.

He sat on his bed and watched Dr. Sane interacting with Fetcher across the room, trying to see if his friend could perhaps made any sense of it.

The rookie sat upright, watching the doctor raptly, taking it all in. His expression gave nothing away, save the fact that he seemed to be soaking it all up, seeing it not as an oddity, but rather the unraveling of a phonomenon he had merely not come across yet.

One that, by the looks of it, he found agreeable.

Net noticed that Fetcher positively beamed beneath the doctor's outspoken care and attention, responding promptly and in an animated fashion to the man's inquiries. Joining in on the jokes, and fairly blooming under the affection like a plant unfolding in the sun.

The medic watched with unrestrained interest as the doctor began maneuvering Fetcher's hands in some sort of hand-greeting ritual combining shakes, punches and claps that left them both grinning like idiots at the end.

"I saw that in a movie, and I always wanted to try it," Dr. Sane laughed. He looked at Net and raised a hand, wiggling it.

"Want to learn our secret handshake, Net? Only cool kids allowed."

Net shook his head, grinning.

Another nurse came in then, a pretty and vivid green twi'lek, who caught sight of Dr. Sane and snorted.

"Should I have brought you dinner too, Doctor?" She asked. She stepped over to retrieve the meal trays, smiling kindly at both troopers as she did so.

"Ah. No, no. I'm going to get some myself, I think. That pudding looked good" he commented, eyes following the trays as she lifted them and balanced them both on a forearm.

He rose and scooted the chair back to where he'd got it from against the far wall, then laid a hand on the nurse's shoulder. She poured a glass of water for Fetcher and placed it on the small table beside his bed.

"This is Shilla. She's your night-time nurse, so if you need anything just call her. She's pretty nice."

"I'm always nice." Shilla smiled as she poured a glass for Net and left the cup and pitcher on his bedside table.

Dr. Sane made a thoughtful expression and hummed. Shilla gave him a light smack on the arm and turned to Net and Fetcher.

"Emilie restocked the bathroom earlier, so you should be good to go there if you want to shower or anything. Don't get that arm wet." She pointed at Net, then looked between them. " Let me know if you need help, ok?"

"We can manage, Ma'am."

She nodded and walked out, Dr. Sane a few steps behind. He looked at them both and gave a sloppy salute, which they weren't sure to return or laugh at.

"I spoke to your Lieutenant before I came to see you. Told him you'd be fine here until you're on your feet again. I thought that it might be the preferrable place to stay. I had the ah, priveledge of visiting a miltary hospital years ago..."he made a comical grimace and interlaced his hands behind his back.

Net and Fetcher weren't quite sure of what he was referring to but tried to look as grateful as they felt. Compared to the usual, this place felt like a resort. They did miss their brothers, though.

Dr. Sane seemed to pick that up from their faces and smiled. "He said he'd be back to check on you tomorrow. Friendly fellow, your lieutenant." He added, and they knew he was joking then. Dr. Sane chuckled along side them for a moment before continuing.

"Emilie is your day-nurse, and she'll be back tomorrow morning. And I'll be back to check on you tomorrow afternoon." He pointed to the breathing mask beside Fetcher's bed. "Put that back on before you sleep. I want those lungs to be in much better shape tomorrow. Got it?"

Fetcher nodded and Dr. Sane gave them a cheery wink.

"You really should bug Shilla if you get a chance."

...

The next morning Net had them both up and showered and redressed, and was re-checking Fetcher when Emilie came in. She smiled at them both and came over to take over Fetcher's assessment after placing some bags at their feet. Net moved aside, letting her do it, waiting for the readings on her scanner and wishing he had his. He eyed the bags she had set down curiously while she worked.

When she'd finished making her notes, he held out a hand for the chart and she stared at him for a moment, but did finally place it in his hand without protest. He looked it over as she bent down and grabbed the bags. She placed one in Fetcher's lap and the rookie glanced between it and her in confusion. Net raised his eyes from the chart to look at it curiously as well.

"For you. From the families of the firefighters."

He blinked at her in incomprehension, and she returned his expression in kind.

"You know, as a thank you." She waved a hand at it then lifted the other bag and handed it to Net. "Here's yours."

Still getting blank looks, she glanced between them suspiciously, before deciding they really were as lost as they looked. She sighed and reached over to open the bag she'd given to Net.

Both troopers watched as she pulled out a stack of cards and a few small parcels. She placed the parcels in her lap , placing the empty bag on the ground at her feet and choosing one of the cards from the stack, laying the rest down. She raised it, opening it and holding it out for Net to read.

He took it and she and Fetcher watched as his eyes panned the words inside. His face was at fist confused, then surprised, and then absolutely lost by the end.

"This is...written to me." He plucked another card from her lap and opened it, read it. Reread it. He grabbed another. "These are all... to me." He sat, holding a couple of cards in his hand and looking between them. He looked at the young woman sitting beside him in utter confoundment.

"Of course they are." She blinked at him. "All of those in that bag are for you, and those are for Fetcher. This one is for your Lieutenant." She pointed at the last bag beside her feet. "I heard he's coming by today. The bags for the others are at my station. I was going to give them to your Lieutenant to take with him when he goes."

Net was shaking his head.

"But why? We didn't do anything special."

Emilie gave him a look that said she thought he was completely nuts. "Nothing special? You guys went into a burning building to save those men."

"We just did our jobs, Ma'am."

"Well, doing your job saved lives." She squinted at them both. "Haven't you guys gotten 'thank you' cards before?"

The looks on their faces told her they hadn't, which puzzled her.

"Well...now you have." She picked up one of the parcels and rolled it between her hands. "I bet I know what these are." She grinned at them both. "The Firehouse has a huge bake sale twice a year, and these smell like Ms. Flyn's cookies. They're amazing. You have to try some right now." She undid the wrapper and held out the opened package for Net to take. He set down the cards he was holding and took it, placing it on his lap and lifting one to his face. It really did smell wonderful.

He looked at Fetcher then Emilie. "You're sure it's for me?"

She just laughed and stood.

"I'm going to go put in your breakfast orders." She looked at Fetcher. "You probably can't eat yours yet, but you should read your cards." She smiled at him and he placed a hand in his bag and pulled out the stack of cards from inside, lifting and studying each as though it was hallowed treasure.

...

A few hours later all of the cookies from the first parcel had been devoured, and the others, as well as the cards had been carefully tucked back inside the bag and placed beside Net's bedside table.

Across the room, Fetcher's bag sat in the same state, and after much readng and rereading, discussing and joking and sharing in disbelief, they were both lying on their beds staring at the ceiling when Lt. Shard stepped in.

They both snapped to and the lieutenant gestured for them to be at ease. He looked between them and then around the room.

"You two doing alright here?" They could tell by his tone that the surroundings made him distinctly uncomfortable.

"Good as we can be, sir." Net replied. "How is everyone else?"

Shard looked at him. "They're fine. You lot are the only ones who took a tumble."

"We knew you'd rescue us, Sir." Fetcher scratched out. His throat was still raw and a slight pained expression crossed his face before he winked at Shard, who lifted an eyebrow.

"Who said I did?" He joked. Or maybe it wasn't. It was hard to tell.

"Lieutenant!" They all turned to see Emilie standing in the doorway, carrying lunch trays. She flashed Shard a smile before setting the food down and picking up the gift bag that lay by the foot of Fetcher's bed.

She carried it over to Shard and held it out to him, her face alight .

"This is for you."

Shard stood staring at her for a moment before taking the bag. He held it up like he wasn't sure what to do with it, eyes dancing from it to the young woman standing in front of him with a blank expression.

"I have more for you on the way out, ok?" She pointed to the bag and smiled at him. He just blinked at her. Used to that reaction now, Emilie just chuckled and turned, looking at Net and Fetcher.

"I couldn't carry your drinks and the trays. I'm going to get them. Be right back."

Shard stared after her as she left, still glancing at the bag in his hands with uncertainty.

"Sir, we had no idea. Why didn't you tell us?"

Shard tore his eyes from the bag to look over at the medic in confusion.

Net made and exasperated sound and shook his head. "Don't you know what it means when a lady gives you cards and cookies?"

Shard's face was blank for a minute before a grimace slowly spread across it, and he stared down at the bag with something akin to horror in his eyes. The way he held the bag away from his body suggested he considered it akin to a deadly toxin.

When Emilie returned she carried the pitcher past Shard and placed it on the mobile tray between the beds. Shard stepped out of her way, moving away from her as though she was radioactive. He tried to do it as subtly as possible, but Emilie noticed and looked up at him in surprise. He still wore a grim expression, and his eyes widened as she looked at him.

"Is something wrong, Lietenant? That expression...Are you in pain?" She stepped closer to touch his arm and he almost tripped over the chair behind him in his haste to scoot away.

Net burst out laughing and Fetcher made a half-choked noise. Emilie turned to look at them.

"What's so funny?"

Neither answered and she huffed a stray curl out of her face and rolled her eyes.

"You guys..." She put her hands on her hips and shook her head at them. She turned to Shard and pointed at the bag. "Enjoy those cookies from Mrs. Flyn, ok? And the others. They're very grateful to you guys for saving their friends and family. And don't forget to stop by my station for the bags for the rest of your guys on the way out." She smiled at him and threw another exasperated look over her shoulder at the two troopers who were still laughing.

Net looked up from between tears to see Shard passing a long, suffering stare between them.

He opened his mouth to say something, when a loud blast rang out from beneath them, reverberating off the walls and shaking the hospital around them, sending them all to their knees on the floor. The glass in the window shuddered and dust and paint rained down from the ceiling. The contents of the cabinets rattled within and the trays of food came crashing down around them.

When the shaking stopped, Emilie peered out at the mess of food and servingware and cards scattered across the floor in front of her from beneath Shard's arm. He had dropped the bag and thrown an arm over her to block any falling debris, and he looked up from beside her at the ceiling, scanning the room, and then at the others.

The fire alarms rang out loud and blaring and a choir of screams took up pitch in the halls.

"Something tells me that fire wasn't an accident."


	11. Net pt2

Net finished smearing the salve on the man's arm and wrapped it with some of the gauze from the quickly diminishing pile of dressings at his side. Beside him Emilie was doing the same to the leg of a woman, and they all sat on a large drape cloth spread over the permacrete.

The smell of the explosion still hung in the air and wisps of smoke seeped from the char-painted crater in the side of the building and lingered, pocketing beneath the low-resting clouds of the sky. A temporary barrier of medical stations had been set up around the hospital, forming a lattice of tents and tables and blankets that ringed the damaged building. There was a slow but steady stream of patients spilling from the Medical facility's doors, walking of their own accord or being helped, and in some cases, carried by others.

Net could make out the glints of white that were his brothers among the kaleidoscope of citizens, slipping between them in the motions of assisting, conducting and channeling the throng. No longer just his squad, but others from the main complex, as many as could be spared.

He cast a quick glance at Emilie, who gave him a small look of comraderie before sending the woman she had patched up hobbling away and beckoning to the next person needing treatment. There were still bits of plaster and chips of paint in her hair, smoke streaks on her cheeks, but she worked with a dedication and efficiency that bespoke of years of experience, and passion for it. She nodded in appreciation at Net's orderliness and skill. They kept a steady pace between them.

Fetcher came up from behind and dropped off another bin of supplies before hurrying off again, slipping among the tents to make another round.

Net didn't like the way the rookie 's breath rattled in his chest or the way it came gritty and rough from his lips, but there was little he could do at the moment except make him sit down and reapply the breathing mask when he came back.

He knew the younger trooper would fight him about that. The urge to be mobile and to be doing something was a trait that sang strong within him and his brothers, and he wondered if it was something everyone felt so intensely or if it had been bred into their genes to exception.

The medic cast another side-glance at the young woman to his left and chuckled. Maybe he'd ask Emilie to demand it of the rookie. Fetcher seemed to do what she asked without protest.

"There you are! "

Both of them turned to see Dr. Sane approaching and Emilie lit up at his approach, flushing a little as the older man wrapped her in an exuberant hug.

"I'm glad you're safe!"

The doctor pulled away from her after a moment to look at Net, who had watched the interaction between the two and noted with interest that the young woman's cheeks were aflame as she returned to her patient.

Net was no expert on women, but he'd seen enough on the holo-net to catch the evidence of the feelings in her face.

Her reaction seemed lost on Dr. Sane however, who appeared oblivious as he turned to Net.

"You too, my boy." He placed a hand on Net's shoulder and raised an eyebrow at the supplies laying around him and the patient he was treating.

"You really are a medic. I thought you were only joking yesterday. "

"No, sir." Net pressed a roll of gauze into the outstretched hand of the doctor. The older man took it, folding back his sleeves and stepping between the two to gesture for the next person waiting on treatment.

...

That evening decent progress had been made in clearing the building, patients ordered and treated and housed as best as the conditions allowed outside, and structural teams had begun tinkering within. Transfers had been made for the most severely injured, and those left behind were receiving care from civilian and military medical personnel alike.

Net sat with Emilie and Fetcher off to the side of the commotion, eating some sandwiches and soup donated by one of the local shops.

He could see the woman with the long dark hair who had approached them with Surge earlier, making passes through the gathering, handing out food and drinks alongside an older woman. After speaking with them briefly, Surge had taken up station at one of the triage areas and was doling out his share of supplies and care alongside several other medics.

"That's it. You're off duty after this."

Emilie ran a hand over Fetcher's back as he coughed on some of the soup he was trying to swallow. "You shouldn't have been running around in the first place. You need rest."

He started to shake his head but the look she have him was so quelling he settled on staring at the bowl in his hands.

Net chuckled softly to himself and let his eyes roam some more as he ate. He could see Lt. Shard off to one side, discussing something with a CSF officer, a scrap of alloy passing between them, heads shaking and hands waving about. Another man joined them after a short time and Shard held up the scrap to be photographed before it was placed in a case and taken away.

Net wondered at the significance of it and turned to see Emilie was watching the exchange as well, a strange expression playing across her face as she took a bite of her sandwich.

"Something wrong?" He asked.

She narrowed her eyes and finished chewing before looking at him with puzzlement.

"The symbol on that piece. It was Mandalorian. A clan mark."

Net blinked at her in surprise.

"How can you tell? "

She shook her head and took a small bite, speaking more to the bread in her hands than him. "I was born there. Spent most of my childhood on Mandalore. My father is Mandalorian."

Net caught Shard's attention and motioned him over.

The Lieutenant approached and stopped beside them, arms crossed and looking down at the trio.

"Something wrong? " He asked, glancing between them.

"Miss Emilie recognized the symbol on that piece you were passing about."

Shard looked at Emilie with interest. "You know it?"

She shook her head. "Not specifically, just that it was a Mandalorian clan mark. I'm not sure which one, though. "

Shard nodded. "The Inspector thinks it's some kind of revenge move." He paused to survey the people milling around them. "Most of the injured are just collateral from structural damage resulting from the blast. From the looks of it the target area was limited to one patient's room and the adjoining hallway."

"Whose room? "

"No idea. I just know that it was one of the original persons rescued from the building that caught fire."

Emilie paled a little. "They came to finish the job."

Shard looked at her, frowning. "Looks like it. First thing that popped into my head after the explosion hit, and we were still alive. If the hospital itself was the target, we'd be dead."

She nodded and returned to her sandwich, chewing thoughtfully.

Fetcher grabbed a sandwich from the pile beside them and held it up for the lieutenant to take, but he just shook his head, his gaze panning the building once more. After a minute he gave them a curt nod and walked off.

Net crumbled up his wrapper and placed it to the side, grinning at Emilie.

"So you're Mandalorian? Our dad was too," he joked. Fetcher rolled his eyes.

Emilie looked at him, her eyes scanning his for something he couldn't quite determine. "My father was. My mom never really grew partial to being one." She frowned a bit, fingers playing with the hem of her uniform. "Neither did I. We left years ago."

Fetcher patted her knee. "It's ok. We still think you're cool." His voice was a rasp of a whisper but he wiggled his eyebrows as he said it and they all laughed.

...

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Cozzizzie and TGP212th: You guys have been reviewing so faithfully. Thank you :) I'm glad you guys have liked it so far!

I really struggle with dialogue. It's always been my weakest point when writing-folding it in, making it flow, and having it make sense. I've been kind of fighting to work it in as much as possible the last few chapters and finding myself not really liking how it's been coming out, although I'm having a great time in the trying. This story, as well as being fun, is such a learning process for me! I'm dedicated now, though. I want to get better. I read so many wonderful stories on here and I'm like "That! That's what I want to write like some day!" Thanks for bearing with me. ^_~

Also, I apologize. I was deceptive. I implied so much more with that cliffhanger, didn't I? ;)

I promise there's more to come on this storyline. I have a brief interlude (another Surge chapter) planned next, and then plans to pick up with a Trust and Hatch chapter which continues this storyline and brings the characters from it to cross paths with them.


	12. Surge II

Thank you for all of your reviews and advice, Cozzizzie. I'm really grateful. :)

And to TGP212TH for the amazing cover she made for Tales of Coruscant! Isn't it cool guys?!

I'm feeling super lucky right now ~_~

This chapter is so full of fluff. Such silly fluff. I should probably be embarrassed. Surge is just my fluffy guy, I guess. Back to serious stuff next chapter with Trust and Hatch, but I hope you guys enjoy this one. Takes place between the Ravi and Net chapters.

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Surge ran the scanner over the little boy, trying to be as quick yet thorough as possible, studying the readings by the dim overhead lamp. A few faint fingers of morning light reached through the colored panes of the window beside them and cast pale rainbows across the tiles at their feet. The boy fidgeted on his mother's lap, squirming and trying to wrestle his way free of her arms, although without as much fire behind the gesture add Surge would've liked to see. The woman looked up at Surge with an expression part embarrassed apology and part deep gratitude and he shook his head at her with a small smile.

The readings confirmed his suspicions and he smoothed back some of the sweat-slick hair from the small feverish forehead. The boy grumbled a bit but didn't shy away from the medic's hand or resist as he rubbed a thumb there softly while speaking to the mother.

"He's got a virus. Nothing too dangerous or overly contagious, but it's not very comfortable. And it can drag out if untreated. I can recommend something that will help. It doesn't require a prescription and is fairly inexpensive." He scrawled something on a piece of flimsi from the small stash in his med-kit and held it out to the woman before pulling out a hypo.

"This will help with the fever, but it will come back and you'll have to keep a close eye on it."

The woman nodded and watched as he injected her son, who had given up fighting completely by then and now merely looked on with tired eyes. Surge replaced the hypo in his kit and ran a hand over the small head before standing.

"Good to go, little buddy. Don't give your mom too hard a time on the way home, ok?"

The boy gave a tiny nod before tucking his face into his mother's shoulder, gripping the fabric of her shirt in his hands. The woman wrapped her arms around him and stood, the edge of her skirt sweeping the floor as she walked, flimsi clutched tightly in her fist as she made her way to the door. Surge stepped quickly to overtake them and held it open as Aiya pulled on a jacket and grabbed a bag from the counter and took up pace beside her.

The woman turned and looked up at him with a grateful smile and he nodded, before they stepped out onto the permacrete and the early morning wrapped its pale and chilly folds around them. He followed them with his eyes until they turned the bend at the cross street, then stepped back inside.

Loreen was sitting at one of the shop's tables with a sleeping Fayna blanket-bundle across her lap and she looked up at him with a serene smile before rising and hefting the little girl in her arms. She began making her way to the stairs at the back of the shop and jerked her head, indicating she wanted him to follow. Through the doorway at the foot of the stairs, the clinking of pots and pans told that Oma was beginning breakfast.

Surge stood at the doorway of the small bedroom, a hand on the trim and watched as Loreen lowered Fayna into Oma's bed, tucking the blankets over and around her before padding back over to him. He stepped out into the living area and she pulled the door shut behind her before crossing her arms over chest and looking up at him.

"Thank you. You're wonderful. You know that?"

"It's no big deal." He shrugged. "What I'm here for."

"You just got off watch, right?"

"Yeah. Gotta head back and get some sleep. See you later today? Redecorating the shop right? "

"Yep. It's my favorite." She smiled to herself for a moment before looking back at him, eyes narrowing and poking a finger at his chest. "You're not going anywhere, though."

Surge blinked down at her.

"Is someone else sick? "

"No. You're just sleeping here."

"Here?" He looked around the room. "You're sure that's ok?"

"Of course it is."

After a pause he nodded and walked over to the couch, replacing his helmet temporarily and Loreen guessed he was checking in with his squad via the comm within. Afterwards he sat and set his helmet on the coffee table and began removing his armor beginning with his shoulder bells, which he stacked neatly on the floor.

Loreen snorted from the doorway of her room, arms crossed and reclining against the frame. Surge looked up at her, confused.

"In my room, silly. With me."

She beckoned with a finger and laughed as he froze, blinking at her briefly before a deep blush spread over his face and he linked his eyes to his boots.

"You want to. ..?"

"Sleep. We're both going to sleep."

"Oh." He looked back up at her and a sheepish expression crossed his face, but he stood quickly and picked up his helmet and plates and padded over to her. He came to a stop beside her and she grinned, raising herself on tip toe to whisper in his ear.

"But we can do that later."

..

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Decorating the shop for the spring season had been a favorite past time of Loreen for as long as she could remember. As a small child she had followed in Oma's footsteps, a light-footed shadow carrying the basket of lights and streamers and flowers that were hung, scattered and placed about the shop just so. Doling out the decorations like gifts to their surroundings, which seemed to beckon to her with an unspoken voice for the whimsy. There was a method to it, a tune.

And now, many years later, the magic was still there.

The outside of the shop was alight with blooms and vines and leaves, crisp and curling in ribbons, softening the edges of the sharp building. The windows spoke boldly with painted scenes and tissue stars. And the door was freshly painted and propped open with a stool on which a colorful basket of treats and flowers for the passer-by had been placed.

A welcome and promise of the good things within, and in good company with the soft music and laughter that spilled into the street.

Inside the shop was busy with customers and friends alike, and Loreen gave a young couple a smile as she placed their cups on the table before returning to the drink bar which hung with glasses, lit like lanterns by the tiny lights draped behind. Juni stood there behind the counter placing freshly cleaned dishes on the shelf at her back, stacking plates tidily and turning each cup handle side out with care. Ravi, Hatch and Trust sat upon the stools across the counter from her, whisking cloths over dishes and lining them up for her to take.

Across the room Surge sat with Fox, taking intermittent sips of caf and tossing jokes between them while folding some flimsi decorations under Aiya's practiced guidance. Turns and Fayna sat on the floor at their feet playing a clapping game of sorts and Loreen stepped past them and made her way around the bar, then motioned for Juni to come stand beside her.

"Ok. You ready to try it on your own?"

Juni looked at the ancient caf machine before her in doubt for a moment, but when she turned her head to the other woman her mouth played a small grin.

"I'll give it a go."

"Alright, it's all yours."

Loreen and the three troopers sitting opposite watched as the younger woman took up the process. She pulled the shot and began steaming the milk as she had been taught with the same cautious care she had bestowed on the dishes. The high-pitched whine of the steam wand became a smooth hiss of spinning liquid, folding about the small thermometer placed within the pitcher until it frothed.

Juni switched off the steam and poured the milk into the cup of caf, tilting and swirling, and finally dipping and trailing the tail end of the small thermometer across the foam to form a design. She looked at it for a moment before shaking her head in a small motion of satisfaction and sliding the cup across the counter to Hatch. He picked it up and stated into it, a goofy grin spreading across his face.

"Aw. A heart." He winked at her. "I love you too, Miss Juni."

She blushed as she began pulling the next shot and Trust punched his arm. Ravi laughed.

"Don't get too excited there, trooper. That's the only foam art I've taught her so far." Loreen shook a finger at him as she tamped the last puck with her other hand.

Hatch was unfazed, raising his eyebrows as he sipped the caf. "She served me first, too."

"Because you're the closest." Trust reminded him and slipped his hands around the next cup Juni slid over, accepting it eagerly. Used to the no-frills caf of the mess, the drinks served at the shop were always a welcome treat to be savored and marveled over. This one was no different, as delicious as the others he had tried and had begun to acquire a taste for. He gave Juni a nod of admiration. 'It's great."

The two sipped in silence as she pulled the last shot and frothed the milk in the small alloy beaker, her eye on the thermometer within, monitoring the temperature before moving on to complete the drink as she had with the previous ones. She played around with foam a little longer this time around before pushing it into Ravi's hands.

After taking his cup Ravi stared at it for a few moments in contemplation, head tilted to one side before his eyes slid to the others.

"Ha. She loves me like a...tornado." He announced, flashing Juni a cheeky grin and she laughed.

"It's supposed to be a rose!"

"Oh."

"She's just kidding. It really is a tornado. She's giving you a hint, vod." Hatch made a rolling motion with his hand in the direction of the door and Trust snickered. "Fwoosh."

Ravi stuck his tongue out in response and Juni came around the counter to have a seat with them. He lifted her purse from the chair beside him and placed it on the counter so she could sit.

Loreen shook her head at their antics and stepped over to the counter on the far side of the room where Oma was forming some pastries. Her gaze fell on Lex, who was working alongside the other woman and mimicking her with a dedicated precision, unrolling any twist of dough he deemed unsatisfactory and beginning again. Loreen giggled at him for it and he looked up at her with an embarrassed smile.

"It doesn't have to be perfect, you know." She reassured, patting his shoulder.

Rolling back her sleeves, she plucked up a piece of her own as she scanned the shop for anyone who might need her. Everyone appeared fine, content in their drinks or crafting so she returned her attention to the dough in her hands and began weaving knots.

She was working on her third when she felt a light touch on the small of her back and looked up to see Surge step in beside her. She gave him a small peck on the cheek and pressed some dough in his hands, and they all worked together for a while, rolling and twisting and filling. Oma hummed lightly, her off-key notes hovering between them and painting their faces with smiles. Her voice and the rhythmic sound of their hands on the bread boards beat a silly and comforting tune, the dough slipping and folding between their fingers was meditative in its own simple way.

A muted crash came from across the room and they turned to see that Hatch had toppled from his seat, and sat half-upright on the floor pointing a finger at Trust, his lips moving in a slew of rapid accusations. He pushed himself to his elbows, about to rise, but Fayna came bounding from across the room and jumped on his middle. The unexpected collision set him clattering back to the floor and he lay there for a few seconds blinking up at Fayna in surprise. She ambled her way to a sitting position and sat, perched like bird on his chest, looking down at him curiously. Trust and Ravi were doubled over in their seats with laughter and Juni was giggling into her hand.

Surge shook his head, chuckling under his breath and Loreen snorted, her eyes slipping to Lex.

"They must drive you crazy."

Lex glanced at them over the dough he was pulling in front of him and a look of practiced patience came over his face. "They...keep me on my toes." he answered honestly, and shrugged his shoulders with a grin. "I'm hardly bored, at least."

"Poor guy." She gave him a sympathetic smile and reached across the counter to pat his arm. "You should come get a massage from Aiya one of these days. She's amazing and you deserve it."

Lex lifted his head to look over at Aiya briefly before staring hard at the pastry he was forming on the counter, and shaking his head mutely. Loreen wasn't quite sure if it was the thought of the small intimacy offered by a massage or the fact that Aiya was the commander's "girl" in the sergeant's mind which lent itself to his reaction, but it made her giggle. And Surge beside her. Aiya and Fox looked up from their folding at the sound, or perhaps sensing they were being spoken of and Loreen blew them both exaggerated kisses, wriggling her eyebrows for good measure. She got some grins and head shaking in response.

Across the counter Oma watched them all with playful eyes as she unscrewed the lid of a jar of preserves and began spooning small amounts onto some of the pastries. The scent was rich and lovely and both men at the counter paused their movements to observe her with interest. Loreen looked up and caught sight of the jar and the two men staring at it and smiled. She motioned for Surge to scoot from in front of the drawer below the counter and when he did she retrieved a couple of spoons. She gave one to each man and pointed at the jar.

"Try some. It's cactus jelly we made last year."

They both looked at Oma who nodded and held the jar out to each. "Good stuff."

They both seemed to enjoy it and Oma tutted, placing a dollop on the last filled pastry. She put the lid back on and gave it to Lex. "You take that home." He took it and placed it to the side, without protest but with grateful eyes. They'd all learned a while ago that Oma wasn't someone you said "no" to.

Fayna came over to squeeze her way between them all then, fingers gripping the counter and nose peeking over the edge. Surge pulled up a chair from a nearby table and placed her on it. The little girl held out her hands for Oma to spritz with some sanitizer before grabbing a chunk of her own to work with. Turns approached a few minutes later and Loreen stepped aside to let him work beside Fayna, dusting her hands on her apron. She caught Oma's eye across the counter and the older woman smiled.

"You two heading out?"

"Yeah, I think we are. You need me to do anything before I go?"

Oma shook her head.

"No. You two have fun." She shooed them away from the counter with outstretched hands. "Go on."

Loreen placed a hand on Surge's arm and pulled him along as she hung up her apron behind the counter and then headed over to the table where Fox and Aiya sat. Surge retrieved his helmet and Fox gave them a nod. Aiya stood to hand Loreen her jacket from the back of her chair, then fetched her own apron, slipping it on.

She winked at them both and walked them to the door, hands on their backs and pressed them out with a grin, before going back inside to grab some finished pastries from the counter and restocking the basket on the stool.

...

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"Do you really need that one?"

Surge watched Loreen hoist the large container of milk onto the convenience store's counter for purchase, confused.

"They have smaller bottles..."

"This one is perfect." She held up the jug in the bag, a sly grin curling her lips. Her eyes were mischief as he took it from her to carry.

"One more stop."

The eatery they stepped into was tiny, smoky and dingy, a mere crevice between a packaging shop and a shady-looking pharmacy. Hot and greasy wafts of smells and spicy steam clung to them as they stood in line, and Surge was surprised at the sheer volume of people packed within the crumbling and patched walls.

Beside him Loreen rocked lightly on the balls of her feet to the tinny music spilling from the overhead speakers. The moisture in the air clung to her hair like dew beading a web, and a sprinkling of sweat dotted her brow. She caught him looking at her and grinned, linking an arm with his.

"They have the best spicy noodles here. Wait till you try them."

The square was busy that day, but they managed to find a vacant spot by the fountain and Surge watched as Loreen spread out the carryout dishes between them, placing the jug of milk in the middle and pulling out the holozine she had purchased alongside it. After setting out their feast she tucked her legs beneath her and motioned for him to sit.

He sat across from her, pretzel-style as well and observed with open interest as she plucked some of the noodles from the food box with her set of chopsticks and held it out to him. Surge raised an eyebrow, but ate what she offered, the spice of it making his eyes water even before it touched his tongue.

One bite in and his eyes were streaming. He breathed open-mouthed, willing the heat to leave, fanning his face in involuntary response. He tried to speak but ended up just choking and cringing, shaking his head.

Loreen sat watching him, arms wrapped around herself and shaking silent mirth.

"Oh my force, you..." She twisted the cap off the milk and handed it to him, cracking up. He chugged it, swishing it around in his mouth as he swallowed.

"You look so adorable." She gave him a look of sincere sympathy and grasped his shoulder companionably before shoveling some noodles in her own mouth.

Within seconds she had brought a hand to her mouth and sat chewing with a pained expression, tears running paths down her cheeks.

Surge was watching her like she was crazy, blinking the tears from his own eyes and scrubbing an arm across his face. His mouth was still on fire, and he rolled his tongue in his mouth trying to dissipate it. He took another swig of milk.

Loreen reached for it after him and she swallowed a mouthful before swishing another gulp against her tongue and cheeks. When she looked back at him her eyes were streaming and her cheeks were rosy. She stuck out her tongue and fanned it before pointing to the noodles, and speaking with her tongue still out.

"This stuff is righteous, right?"

She looked so ridiculous Surge laughed and shook his head at her. His mouth was finally starting to calm down. He sat aghast as she took another huge bite.

"That stuff can't be good for your insides." He watched her squeeze her eyes shut and and shake her head against the spice, swallowing and then inhaling more milk.

"Probably not. Bottoms up, Mr. Medic."

"You're nuts."

"A little." Loreen gestured for him to take another bite and he eyed the noodles warily as he brought them to his mouth. Across from him she was panting as she picked up the holozine and began reading it aloud, blowing out breaths between words.

"Alright, you have to answer as honestly as possible. If you were stranded on a deserted planet with only one person for the rest of your life...who would it be?"

Surge swallowed the fire in his mouth and coughed. "Ask me when I'm not dying."

"Nope. Words spoken under duress are like secrets to your soul. You need to answer because you're dying. "

At that moment he wasn't sure if she was joking.

"Not you. You're evil."

She pouted at him then and took another bite, her face pinching, before she reached over and cupped his face in her hands and brought her lips to his.

They kissed for a few minutes before the burning at the corner of their mouths forced them to pull away and they both ran their arms over their faces, scrubbing desperately.

"Ok, maybe you." Surge admitted after another swig of milk, although he was still eyeing her weirdly. Loreen gave him a wink and a thumbs up, then blinked her eyes a few times before looking down at the holozine again and reading the next question.


	13. Trust and Hatch

Cozzizzie and TGP212TH: ~_~

CaptainReb: Thank you :)

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Trust and Hatch

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Trust parked the speeder in the building's attached parking area and he and Hatch stepped into the lobby through the main entrance, the two large doors hissing behind them as they glanced around. The interior still had patches of construction going on and various maintenance-dressed crew and workers were clicking paths across the tiles. Around them a number of patients and medical professionals alike made harried courses to and from their destinations. The whole place seemed to be in a loop of rushed motion, although remarkably orderly given the circumstances.

The two troopers pressed their way through the others, making a beeline for a small indoor cafe to the right. They looked around briefly, studying the patrons for a moment before claiming an empty table by the window and taking seats. Hatch bent to the side to snag a holozine from the rack beside them and Trust sat watching the passers by outside the window, fingers drumming against his thigh.

After a short while, a young woman in nursing attire stepped into the cafe, her eyes locking onto them and she smiled as she approached their table.

"Trust and Hatch?" Her gaze was kind, but tired. "Net told me you had some questions?"

"Yes ma'am." They both rose and Hatch pulled out a seat, which she took.

"Please, call me Emilie ok?"

They inclined their heads briefly in acknowledgment and she watched as Trust pulled out a holopad and stylus, taping the screen a few times before nodding to Hatch. They both sat, and Hatch removed his helmet before looking at her.

"We're just looking for anything that might give us leads on the bombing. The CSF is conducting an investigation on it and put in a request that we do a little investigating from a military standpoint as well." Emilie caught herself watching his hands as they moved about. He gestured a lot, and in an animated way as he spoke, although his gaze was steady on her. "There've been a lot of security issues planetside lately, and anything Mandalorian-related is running a red flag right now."

"I see." She looked between them. "I'm not sure if I'll be of much help in that regard."

"That's fine, Miss emilie, anything you could give us is more than we've got."

"What would you like to know?"

"The Lieutenant said you recognized the marking as a Mandalorian clan mark, and Net said you mentioned growing up on Mandalore. Is there anything you could tell us from a Mandalorian perspective? Is there anything we should expect? Any chance of another attack?"

"Ah..." They watched as she let out a breath and stared out the window, her eyes skitting back and forth for a few moments before returning to rest on them. "I'm only guessing, but I would say no. Unless there is someone else they're after. The person in the room they bombed is...gone." A sad look came across her face. "I'd say they did what they came to do."

Hatch nodded. "That's what we figured. Think they'd stick around after?"

"You mean here at the hospital?"

"Just lingering around Coruscant. We've hit some matches of similar symbols to the ones at the bombing, on the lower levels. We're not sure if they're new or old, or who made them."

Emilie tapped a finger against her chin in thought.

"There might be a ring of them based here. Maybe it was a side effect of a turf-war?"

"That's the general concensus. Do you know any way of...getting their attention, Miss Emilie? We're looking for ideas to draw these guys, if they exist, out into the open."

She laughed. "Round up a rival of theirs and issue a challenge?" A shake of her head and she looked up at Hatch again,a slight discomfort in her eyes. "Sorry, I have no ideas other than the obvious. Clan politics are...why my mother and I ended up leaving."

"Net mentioned that. I'm sorry." He said, and Trust stopped tapping his 'pad to glance at her. They both had genuine sympathetic expressions that she couldn't help but find endearing, as much as she disliked the probing. She let out a breath before rising, fingers spread across the tabletop and leaning between them with a smile.

"I could use some caf. Is it ok?" She gestured to the counter and Trust gave her a thumbs up, eyes falling back to the datapad and he scratched out something.

They watched her step up to the counter and place an order before moving to the end of the counter to wait.

"I was hoping she could tell us a little more. This trip feels...unproductive." Trust said, looking across the table at Hatch. He set the holopad down and rested his elbows on the polished top, glancing at the nurse. Hatch shrugged.

"Can't tell what she doesn't know. And, it's not a total loss." He stole a glance at Emilie, a tilt to his head. . "We get to be in the company of a lady for a bit. I like her." He looked back at Trust. "She's pretty...and" he leaned in closer to whisper "she smells nice."

Trust gave him an odd look. "I'm not even going to ask how you know what she smells like."

Hatch sat back and crossed his arms, quirking an eyebrow in disbelief. "It's called a nose. You should try using yours some time."

"I do. I just don't go around sniffing women. Krinking weirdo."

Hatch closed his eyes and smiled smugly, a finger pointing to the ceiling. "Your loss. I'm telling you, she smells nice."

Trust was shaking his head at him when Emilie returned. She placed a drink carrier between them somehwat shyly.

"I hope these are ok. I wasn't sure what you guys liked. I should've asked."

She parced out the drinks and placed the carton to the side before taking her seat.

"No...we didn't...thank you Miss Emilie." Hatch reached for his cup as Trust removed his helmet and placed it by his feet. He gave her a smile of thanks as well.

She grinned and blew across her drink a little before taking a sip. They did the same, and they all drank for a few minutes in silence. After a short time, Emilie set her drink down and clasped her hands beneath her chin, elbows on the table and seemed to think about something deeply for a moment. When she looked up they were both staring at her curiously and she pointed to the 'pad, eyebrows knitting and frowning slightly.

"Do you have any pictures of the marks on the lower levels?"

Trust tapped the holopad back to life and pulled the images up. He slid it over and she flicked through them slowly. After studying them for a short while she glanced up at him.

"Can you show me where they were found?"

He nodded and pulled up a holomap of the area, with the mark's locations labeled and eyed her hopefully. Maybe she had something after all? He watched her as she stared hard at it, and Hatch leaned in as well.

"Anything stand out to you?"

She purse her lips in thought before shaking her head.

"No. I dont know the mark, and the perimeter formed by them doesn't seem to have any sort of pattern. It doesn't even look like turf markings to me. I'm not sure what the meaning is, if there is any." She kept her gaze on the map as she drank, eyes flicking from mark to mark, but said no more.

Hatch observed a frown finding its way to her face again and he made a point of looking around, then gestured to their surroundings.

"So, how're the repairs going around here?"

Emilie drew in a breath and peeked up at him as though pulled from a memory. She smiled. "Good. Very well. Things are calming down and getting back to the way they were. A lot of rearranging and running around but we're making progress. Got some crazy shifts going on right now. " She rubbed a hand over her eyes, which gave evidence of her story by the shadows beneath.

"Thanks for the break."

Trust nodded and Hatched winked, which made her laugh.

"So, have you guys and Net known each other...long?"

"No. He's a later batch than us. We met recently, in the medbay back at the complex. Not too long ago. After the riot."

Emilie scrunched up her face. "I heard about that. People really are nuts sometimes..." She looked at them with concern. "Was everyone ok after? I mean, all of your friends?"

"I think everyone got some licks, but we all pulled through."

"I'm glad." She looked it, and she gave them a warm glance as she drank the rest of her coffee. She fiddled with the empty cup for a minute, staring at the holomap again while she did so, before finally shaking her head and standing.

'I have to get back now. Sorry I couldn't be of more help."

"No problem Miss Emilie."

"Thank you for meeting with us," Trust tapped off the holopad and clipped it to his belt.

She nodded and leaned over to retrieve his empty cup from the table, her own clutched in her hand. Her hair slipped across his arm as she did so and he caught himself subconciously inhaling the light flowery scent of her curls. She snagged Hatch's after, then straightened and gave them both a tired smile.

"See you guys." She began walking but seemed to rememeber something and spoke over her shoulder at the edge of the cafe. "Say hi to Net and Fetcher for me, ok?"

They both nodded and watched her go. Hatch gave a small wave. He turned back to Tust, pointing a finger at him.

"I saw you. You totally smelled her!" He crossed his arms and gave a smug look. "She smells nice right?"

Trust gave him a smack upside the head as they headed back to the parking lot.

...

That night they were performing reconnasiance in the area of the markings, walking the perimeter and keeping eyes out for anything noteworthy or out of place. The whole sector was a shady place, grimy and alight only with faint overheads that illuminated the shabby buildings and gutters overflowing with refuse. Trash and broken glass and other things Hatch had no desire to identify.

"Ick." He lifted a foot that had come down on something slimy in the darkness. He wiped it begrudgingly on the curb, which looked marginally cleaner.

"Don't get prissy on me." Trust's voice came through the comm in Hatch's helmet from two streets over. There were sounds of a few speeders racing by in the background and the muted laughter of adjacent citizens.

"Dare you to take a dandy roll across the next cross-walk, vod." Hatch let his gaze pan the catwalks of the building he was scoping before tracing a path along the roof.

He was stepping the narrow confines between one structure in the next when Trust spoke again. A whispred hiss through the filter.

"Got something." Hatch could make out the familiar notes of his movements beyond his voice. The sound of plastoid against the permacrete as he kneeled, the clack of a blaster being gripped tighter across a chest plate.

"Heading your way." Hatch's pulse quickened and he followed Trust's icon on his HUD. "What've you got?"

"One target. Mando. In pursuit."

Hatch could see his icon was in motion, although moving very slowly, indictaing he was merely following, not chasing.

"He hasn't noticed you."

"Not yet. I'd like to keep it that way."

Hatch could see the grid of streets underlaid beneath the blips on his HUD and turned a sharp corner, nearly colliding with a bewildered man who jumped out of the way with a startled screech.

"I can head him off at the next left. Get ready."

"Copy."

He rounded the corner at a run and sprinted down a side street, slipping into place and cutting off the target from the rest of the four way with a half slide just in time.

Hatch got a look at the target, a Mandalorian wearing plain grey armor, who came to an abrupt halt at the sight of him and stood frozen in place for a moment. He leveled the blaster at the figure and called out firmly across the glint of alloy in the darkness.

"Hold up. We need to ask you a few questions."

Trust came down from the rooftop behind, swift and silent by cable, and had detatched it and raised his weapon by the time the target had turned to flee.

Catching sight of the second trooper, the Mando's helmet flicked bewteen the two for a desperate moment. The two sidearms at his sides remained undrawn, although both troopers could see the beginings of thoughts in that direction forming with the slight twitch of his arms.

"Don't do anything stupid. We just want to talk." Hatch heard the soft click of Trust switching his blaster to stun before the figure sprung to life, triggered by the sound.

Before he could respond, Hatch found himself doubled over from a blow to the stomach, then laid out with a swipe beneath his legs. The Mando leapt over him, swiping the decee from his hands and sending it skittering into the shadows. Trust darted past in pursuit as he scrambled to retrieve it, and he could hear the sizzle of stun rounds in the air as the other trooper fired off shot after shot.

They were too far to be more than shapes against the street by the time Hatch had joined the chase and he pulled up the overlay as he ran, seeking anything useful.

The city turned out to be working in his favor, or the target was unfamiliar with it because he bolted into a passage that was undeniably a dead end.

Either that, or it was a trap.

Trust had come to the same conclusion, but wasn't keen on calling it a loss on the chance of any foul play on the Mando's part. He followed without hesitation, buoyed by the fact that he was gaining ground. The Mando was half a head shorter than he, and though swift, not as fast as the trooper who followed.

"Got him!" He called out. They had reached the end of the line, the Mando only a few bounds ahead. Trust expected the figure to slow, but he didn't, in fact he sped up his approach and took a good leap up the wall before him.

"Kriff, don't tell me he's a jedi!" Trust's stun rounds peppered the surface of the wall, just a half-step behind as the figure flipped off the wall and landed back on the ground with a grace not in tune with the appearance of his armor.

But he drew no lightsaber, just knelt and kicked off the ground in a direct charge at Trust. And before the trooper could fire another shot he was snared by the need for deflection, dodging the barrage of kicks and blows that missed by hairbreadths.

The trooper had two advantages at that moment which kept him from going down immeditely: his greater size, and the anticipation of the method of attack gleaned by watching Hatch be taken down by such moves only minutes prior.

Trust dropped his blaster in favor of deflecting the blows, and they wrangled and grappled with eachother for a few tense moments, with him managing to hold his ground, just barely.

But he was a fast learner and though his opponent was quicker and more nimble, his strength was greater. He managed to grab hold of the other man just long enough to fling him to the ground, although the Mando caught him whilst falling and they both toppled.

The Mando's back connected hard with the permacrete beneath them from the fall, and then Trust's helmet came down upon his shoulder as he crashed to the ground on top of him, which elicited a cry of pain from him.

No, her, Trust realized. The sound had been female.

He rose to his knees quickly and raised an arm with the intention of knocking her out, but halted suddenly with a jerk, pausing to regard her from behind the dark visor in disbelief.

It was only a hearbeat of a hesitation, but it was enough. She brought up a knee which connected with his side, sending him rolling off her with a sharp inhale. He rose to his knees again, breathless and saw his blaster laying before him. He made a lunge for it and jumped to his feet with it raised, spinning on his heel.

A single shot rang out in the night and Trust fell to the ground, decee dropping with a clatter.

"Ahhhh!" Hatch had finally caught up with them just in time to see his brother fall and screamed as he opened fire on the figure, who froze at the sound. Several of his shots rang high and wild, but one caught her arm and she cried out, returning a shot and making Hatch swerve instinctively.

She used the opening to slip past him in a dash and disappeared into the night.

Hatch had to choose at that moment to stay or pursue and he threw a desperate look over his shoulder before running to his fallen friend.

Trust rose to his elbows with a groan and clutching his chest just as Hatch fell to his knees beside him.

"You alright?" Hatch sounded incredulous and relieved, like he hadn't thought he as alive.

Trust grunted. "Fine. Just knocked back." He looked to his decee which lay smoking in front of them, a singed ring right through the barrel.

"She's one hell of a crackshot."

"She?"

Trust nodded.

Hatch turned his gaze down the street, in the direction she had run. "Well, she's gone now." He looked back at Trust, running his eyes over him once more as though double checking before rocking back to sit and shaking his head. He chuckled dryly. "I'm a little embarassed. She did a number on us."

Trust was quiet, and sat staring at the smoking remains of his blaster.

Hatch rose and offered him a hand, shaking his head in disbelief. "I can't believe we lost her." He said in disappointment, although there was a slight lilt of amusement there as well.

Trust finally looked up and took his hand and let himself be pulled to his feet. He stood staring down the street in the direction the Mandalorian woman had taken off in for a while before turning to Hatch.

"I know how to find her."


	14. Trust and Hatch pt 2

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Trust and Hatch (pt. 2)

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Net awoke to someone smacking his face, and he jumped up in surprise, nearly rolling off the bunk, and would have had a hand not grabbed him. He blinked up at the shadow of a figure looming over him in confusion, shaking his head slightly against the fog of sleep. He could make out the familiar features of a face very much his own, yet not, in the subtle ways of one of his brothers. Quite used to decoding these minute differences, it still took Net a few moments to recognize the form beside him, but at last a scratch of recognition surfaced.

"Hatch?"

The trooper nodded and made an urgent gesture for Net to get up, standing himself and slipping off the bed with a clack of boots to the floor.

"Hurry, get dressed."

Net had grown accustomed to being woken up and called upon in such a manner frequently, so it was with ingrained habit that he immediately set about getting dressed. He rose and pulled open the drawer beneath, glancing at Hatch as he dressed.

"Is someone hurt? Where's Surge? You're not even stationed at this complex. What're you doing here?" He pulled the medic's tunic over his head, choosing not a bodyglove but the non-combat uniform in preference of dressing in haste. Hatch hadn't said anything in opposition so he guessed it was ok.

The trooper above his bunk began to stir at the commotion, and raised a head groggily to peer down at them in the darkness. Luckily there was no one else in the room to disturb at that hour.

Hatch didn't answer and Net looked up at him, eyes narrowing with growing concern. He hadn't known the other man long, but had enough of an impression to judge him of a much more vocal disposition. But the other trooper was regarding him thoughtfully, chewing on the inside of his cheek in thought. And when he spoke, it was with a hesitation that betold he was choosing his words carefully.

"We need you to come. It's...something with Miss Emilie."

Net's eyes widened, and the trooper above him shot upright, nearly colliding with the ceiling and suddenly very awake.

"What's happened to her?"

It was only then that Hatch realized it was Fetcher. They'd met briefly that morning before they'd interviewed Emilie. He knew only that the kid had been her patient along with Net, and had no idea as to his closeness with the nurse. But he guessed there was some small friendship there by the way he had reacted. Hatch glanced at him, then back to Net.

"We need to talk to her, and we thought it might be better if you were with us."

Fetcher jumped down from his bunk and began dressing quickly without another word. Hatch raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"You need to talk to her right now? In the middle of the night?" Net clipped his belt and the sound was loud and sharp between them. His eyes flashed with puzzlement and slight accusation.

"The sooner the better."

"Why?"

"Something's come up. About the case."

He had both their focuses now.

Net pushed in the drawer beneath his bunk with his boot and stepped to the doorway of the room to wait. Fetcher was nearly dressed in his off-duty uniform and Hatch stood between them shifting from one foot to anther uncomfortably before pointing to Net's med-kit which sat on the room's small table.

"Bring that."

Net and Fetcher looked in the direction he pointed then back at him in confusion.

"To speak with Miss Emilie? Why?"

Hatch's face scrunched a bit before he looked at the ground and he ran a hand over the back of his head as though immensely embarrassed.

A look of realization crept across Net's face and Fetcher stood frozen in the act of putting on his boot, eyes wide and leaping between them.

"Because I shot her."

...

The speeder ride to Emilie's apartment wasn't a very long or talkative one. The nurse's address was in the database and easily looked up, and she lived not far from the hospital. After receiving clearance from Steel, (who Trust had spoken with and who had promised to update the Lieutenant of what was going on), they had climbed into the speeder Trust and Hatch had arrived in and headed out. Hearing a summarized version of the night's events from his brothers, Net found himself inclined to reach much the same conclusions they had about the whole scenario, as much as he didn't want to. A small clench of fear had laid claim to his stomach, along with a combination of curiosity and a small tinge of betrayal. The mixture of which set his stomach roiling, and he assumed Fetcher's as well, who sat silently beside him, eyes resolutely on the window. Trust and Hatch were wordless themselves, except for the occasional query over direction.

They sped down the night-lit byway, other speeders and crafts whizzing by in neon streaks, the effect lovely but as lost on them as they were in their thoughts.

The apartment complex where she lived was neither fancy nor shabby, a middle ground in appearance and location. Unpresuming, but trim and tidy. Fourteen floors with an attached parking area and small, landscaped path to the lobby.

They took the turbolift to the eleventh floor, and made their direction by the door markings to the last apartment on the left. Their feet made no sound against the carpeted floor, although their passage echoed slightly off the surface of the walls. Trust and Hatch stopped a few doors down, hovering there a moment before slipping their backs against the side of the hallway and letting Net and Fetcher approach the door without them.

They had no idea if Emile was even home, or what her reaction would be, but they guessed two familiar troopers in plain uniforms were perhaps a bit less threatening than those in standard and impersonal armor. And if she made a break for it and somehow got past Net and Fetcher, Trust and Hatch could grab her. Or at least try to. There was a wordless hope among them that that wouldn't be necessary.

There was also the thought that she might be incompacitated beyond the ability to answer, which had Net on edge.

Hatch was certain he'd only shot her in the arm, but the darkness often told a different story from the light. And they were all hoping for a little more of that to be shed on the situation as Net lifted the back of his hand to the door, somewhat hesitantly, and they waited.

...

The knock made Emilie start, and she rose slowly from the couch, heart hammering and sliding a sleeve over the bandage she had applied not so long ago. She took a moment to close her eyes and collect herself, a few slow breaths slipping from her lips.

For a brief moment the urge to flee consumed her thoughts...but this was the eleventh floor, and there was the possibility the visitor was harmless. She didn't live in the most secure building and had had several curious and amusing night-time visitors before. Perhaps this was just a coincidence.

She took one last deep breath and stepped to the door, letting a mask of calm fall into place as she did so.

But when she opened the door, the two men standing there were enough of a surprise to make her blink in true confusion.

"Miss Emilie, may we come in?" She recognized Net by the familiarity in his voice as well as his manner, although he wore a uniform and not the armor she had seen him in before. He swept a quick gaze over her, head to feet, before settling on her face, and there it seemed to linger, searching for something.

Beside him stood Fetcher, in a similar uniform of grey and he wore a stoic expression, although his eyes betrayed turmoil.

Emilie looked between them both for a moment before throwing a quick glance over her shoulder, then stepping into the hallway and shutting the door behind her. She stared resolutely up at them with as much confusion as she could muster. It wasn't hard, as she was very surprised, although her mind was burning with half a dozen emotions, making the steadiness of her voice forced.

"Is something wrong?"

By most accounts she appeared purely curious. But Net was a learned reader of hidden expressions and surpressed emotions, and the fear that danced behind her eyes was as obvious to him as the color of the blouse she wore. Seeing that tempered the accusations burning in his mind drastically and he frowned, unsure of how to proceed now that she stood before them.

Fetcher shifted at his side, perhaps wanting to speak, but not knowing what to say, or simply deferring to his older and more experienced companion.

Finally, Net let out a sigh and lifted an arm palm up, expectantly, eyes locked on hers.

"Let me see your wound."

"What?" She blinked, and crossed an arm over her chest to grip the hem of her collar tightly.

"Where you got shot." Net continued, "Where...Hatch shot you."

'What?" Emilie heard her own voice crack as she spoke and brought a hand to her mouth in genuine shock. They did know it was her. But how? And, that had been Hatch?

She hadn't known that.

She found herself fumbling backwards until the the door was hard and cold at her back, her hand gripping the trim so tightly her knuckles contrasted vividly against the dark metal. She looked between them, unable to hide the guilt and fear she felt rising in her throat.

But both troopers raised their arms in a placating manner and took a step back.

"We're not going to hurt you or anything, Miss Emilie," Fetcher said reassuringly, his eyes shifting to Net for affirmation.

Net raised an eyebrow, and they were both clearly horrified by her reaction to them.

"Of course not. We just came to see if you were alright and to...talk." He looked at her and gave her a smile. Small but genuine. "We're not going to shoot you, Miss Emilie. At least," he looked to his left with a quirk of his mouth "...not again."

"Ack! You're never going to let me live that down..."

An exasperated voice came from down the hallway, and Emilie pressed off from the door enough to look that way, suddenly more curious than afraid. Two more troopers were reclining, arms-crossed at the end of the hallway, although the one who spoke stood upright, flinging his arms out as he spoke.

"I mean, I didn't know it was you...when... I shot you." He articulated each word with his hands as he approached. When he reached them he took off his helmet and looked down at her apologetically. "I really didn't."

Emilie looked up at him, hands jumping to on her cheeks. "I had no idea it was you! Are you alright?! I heard you scream and thought I had hit you by accident somehow."

She stepped forward, fear forgotten, medical instincts taking over. She ran a hand over the chest-plate of his armor and panned it with her eyes, determinedly inspecting it and the trooper beneath for damage.

Net and Fetcher looked on with slight amusement and Hatch just blinked down at her.

A chuckle came from down the hallway, and Trust finally approached.

"Aside from being a terrible shot, he's fine ma'am."

Hatch swiveled to fix him with a glare.

"Trust?" Emile glanced at the last trooper who came to a stop beside her. His expression was unreadable from behind his visor, and his armor was unmarked, but he inclined his head when she said his name. She shot him a highly apologetic expression, but he just shook his head with a snort and shrugged.

Net cleared his throat suddenly, and purposefully, and their eyes fell on him. He gestured for her arm.

"Oh." She shook her head but held it out to him. "It's just a graze."

"All the same. I'll have a look." Net rolled back her sleeve and inspected the bandage, lifting it slightly to peer underneath before re-wrapping it firmly.

He nodded to Trust and stepped back, although he gave Emilie a friendly nod as he did so.

"If it's alright Miss Emilie, we would like to ask you a few things now."

They all watched as she let out a long breath and closed her eyes, head lowering before she raised it again and fixed them all with a small, but rather embarrassed, smile.

"I do owe you guys something of an explanation, don't I?"

She glanced back at her door for a few moments before nodding, although to them or herself they weren't sure, and hit the button to open it. They followed her inside.

The apartment was small, but prettily decorated with cheerful colors and wooden floors. A kitchenette with a breakfast bar to the left and living area to the right. A sofa and lounge chairs on a woven carpet. Lots of candles. Trust and Hatch concluded it was a civilian (or perhaps a female thing), the candles. They seemed to pervade the homes of every civilian they had so far met.

They all took seats at Emilie's gesture, taking in her home with various levels of interest. It was obvious that Net and Fetcher had never been in a civilian home before and were more studious in their gazes than Trust or Hatch, who's focus lay more with Emilie herself. She sat between Hatch and Net on the sofa, with Fetcher and Trust having each taken a lounge chair across from them. She sat demurely, although alert and with a small amount of unease hovering about her, but her face had an honest and determined edge.

"...So you didn't know it was us."

Trust initiated, and Emilie glanced at him before nodding.

"I didn't." She looked between him and Hatch. "Sorry. Your armor is the same."

"Don't we know it."

Hatch crossed his arms and looked at the ceiling before lowering his eyes back to her and shaking a finger. "Tarkin's latest orders. No personal markings that differentiate from the regular Coruscant Guard paint job. Only the commanders are allowed to keep theirs."

Emilie frowned, sensing it must've been a bit of a sore spot for them. "If it makes you feel better, mine's unmodified too," she offered.

"We noticed that." Hatch glanced at her, head tilted in inquiry. "To be honest, we thought you were a guy."

Emilie laughed.

"Well, that armor belonged to a man. I never got around to getting a set of my own."

"Was it your father's?" Fetcher jumped in, curious.

The young woman shook her head.

"I won it, in a fight. It was my prize for winning."

Fetcher looked like he was about to ask something else but Trust interjected, purposely taking control of the conversation once more. He still had on his helmet, Emilie noticed.

He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "Why didn't you tell us before?" His words weren't quite accusing, but there was a hint frustration behind them. "If you had told us you had armor, or that you were going to investigate on your own..." he trailed off but the implication hung between them all, loud and clear.

You should have told us.

She lowered her gaze guiltily, lips tightening. She hadn't meant to be purposely deceptive. And she definitely hadn't anticipated the events of the night. Neither was it lost on her that things could have gone very badly.

"I'm sorry. I know it doesn't mean much now, but I am. I honestly didn't see my armor as relevant. And I didn't...think. When you mentioned those symbols, and showed me where they were, I just. ..didn't think." She shook her head. "All I saw was a possibility to find the creep who bombed the hospital. That place, it's like my sanctuary. It's the antithesis to my life on Mandalore. You have no idea how much it, and everyone in it means to me."

"We believe it, and your actions are understandable given that. We just don't get it. We thought you said you weren't one to participate in Mando customs."

"I wasn't. At least, I wished I wasn't. My Father taught me to fight, and made me fight, even though I had no stomach for it. Probably, mostly, because I didn't want to." She let out a breath and shook her head, pale curls bouncing as she did so, hands clenching and unclenching subconciously in her lap. "We were laughing stocks, he and my mother and I. My father has something of a name in our clan, and I was an embarrassment." She gave them all an even look, a flash of resentment in her eyes. "He made sure I atoned for that by fighting constantly."

A long moment of silence passed, but Trust seemed satisfied with her answer, halting further inquiry, although his gaze was still on her.

"It shows."

Emilie looked up at him sharply, defensively, years of degredation drawing out the defensiveness within her. But his words hadn't been spoken in snark, but rather something akin to admiration. She felt her defenses dropping slightly, hackles sinking, and regarded him questioningly.

He pointed at her.

"You, miss. Kicked. Our. Shebses."

He spoke slowly, deliberately, punctuating each word with a jab of his finger in her direction accusingly.

She blinked at him in surprise and a silence fell over them, before Net chuckled and Hatch started cracking up. Fetcher gave her a wide grin and Trust's helmet swiveled between them all.

The mood was apparently contagious because soon Emilie found herself drawn into a fit of hearty giggles by their example, and wrapped her arms around herself and doubled over, although she managed to squeeze out a muffled "sorry!". Which brought forth another peal of merriment, the remains of the tension of the night leaving them and fading, like bubbles snapping in the air.

It was a good feeling. So very foreign to her in context they were discussing. She hadn't ever thought she'd find the subject of fighting a laughing matter. After a few minutes she rubbed her eyes and glanced between Trust and Hatch.

"I still don't understand, though. You didn't seem to recognize me in the beginning. How'd you figure out it was me?"

Trust suddenly seemed to find the carpet beneath his boots fascinating, and said nothing. Hatch looked at him and snorted, eyebrows quirking and hands on his hips.

"I have no idea, Miss Emilie. He doesn't go around sniffing women."

Trust raised his head sharply, and they all guessed it was to glare at Hatch, although his face was hidden. The other three men laughed.

Emilie sat blinking at Trust, dumbfounded. "That's why you hesitated?"

He looked at her for a second, before giving a curt nod.

"You had me! You would've won if you hadn't."

He shrugged and she finally laughed, but it was good-natured. "For what it's worth, I'm glad you didn't knock me out."

She continued earnestly, eyes slipping over each of them in turn. "And I'm grateful you guys came. To talk. I'm still actually...confused by it all. Given the circumstances, I'm thinking you guys are taking it easy on me and perhaps even... bending the rules a little. Don't tell me it's all because I was your nurse. Or simply because you know me." As she spoke, she felt herself growing slightly apprehensive. While she was certainly appreciative, she also wasn't one to prefer kindnesses of pity or familiarity in extenuating circumstances. Her childhood had taught her that was a backfiring thing to expect, and a dangerous place to linger. "I'm not one for preferential treatment or favors, even if you mean well."

"You think that's the way of it?" Net looked surprised, and perhaps a little stung.

"We're not being unduly sympathetic, Miss Emilie." Trust leaned back as he spoke, one foot balanced on his other knee and lifted a hand, palm up in a gesture of appeasement . "Looking at the facts, the screw up was on our end. We questioned you, and then supplied you with a dangerous location to investigate, fully knowledgeable that you had a stake in the case. And then we confronted you in a hostile manner first. After which you didn't engage lethally. Not even when cornered or fired upon. Not even with prime opportunity, and obvious ability. You may not have been completely honest with us, but our expectation of that was...honestly unreasonable at the time." He shook his head. "If anyone's the receiver of preferential treatment by proximity tonight, it's us. "

Emilie found herself staring at him.

The open and honest respect, concern, and comraderie she felt at that moment from each of the men before her was suddenly very nearly overwhelming . It hovered over her, foreign, yet very comforting. She took a moment to take all four of them in, casting a long, good look at each in turn, studying. Memorizing. Her heart, after years of being hushed harshly in the face of anything but fleeting surface of companionship, told her it was something worth remembering.

Perhaps picking up on this, Fetcher gave her a large, sheepish grin.

"Although...it is a little because you're our friend, too, Miss Emilie."

"...And because you smell nice."

Hatch wiggled a finger at her and gave her a wink just before Trust's helmet collided with his head.

...

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Thank you for your reviews guys! I really do appreciate it. I'm so glad you guys are enjoying it. I love focusing on friendships and companionship in the face of hardship or struggles. That's my favorite part of life, I guess :)

Ms CT-782: I really need to go back and fix it, ha. ;)

CaptainReb: I think I've been watching too much Psych and Sherlock lol

And this storyline will probably continue and progress further later on although that's all I have written for it now. But the characters will definitely be showing up in other tales down the road.

Sorry for the longer wait. Crazy stuff going on, and we finally decided to paint walls which have needed painting for an embarrassingly long time.

Rex is up next in a goofy story about him, Appo, Ahsoka, Anakin and Padme at a bar. (What could go wrong, right?) And then a Lex chapter. See you guys soon. Hope your day is a good one today!


	15. Rex

This one is definitely rated teen ;)

...

Rex

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.

Rex sat, lit by the wash of lighting from the decorated lamps above, his fingers drumming out the beat of the music spilling from the the live instruments across the room. The dining ware on the clothed table shimmered slightly at the movement and upon realizing this he quickly desisted, his hands slipping to his lap. He regarded his companions with slight embarrassment, but his motions seemed to have been missed and he took it in with a small breath in his favor.

How strange the night, and out of his element he felt, although he did his best to keep the fact hidden as he observed his companions in a curious tempo of thoughts. Beside him sat Appo, newly promoted to Sergeant, and purposely chosen by Rex for accompaniment that night.

The sergeant had a tendency to be a little too straight-laced for the Captain.

Which said much, as Rex himself was a firm believer in the idea that rules existed for reason. But there was a compromise to be made as well, a dance of cohesion of duty and humanity that existed and was wise to be mastered by anyone in a position of command over others.

Rex had hoped that some time with the General who was a widely accomplished and respected leader, yet notorious rule-bender and impulse chaser would help to loosen up the Sergeant a bit.

And an impromptu night on the town had seemed as good an opportunity as any.

He was beginning to have doubts about that now, however, and by the looks of things, so too was Ahsoka.

She sat swirling the pretty drink in front of her absently with its parasole straw at his side. Rex remembered the young commander had lit up swift and vivid, bright as a neon at the invitation to spend the night away from the temple. The opportunity to accompany her master to dine with the Senator of Naboo in the basement bar of her hotel seemingly a force-send. But now she sat mute and dim, an unmistakable sulk clouding her previous enthusiasm and making her fingers ripple the drink. Rex chuckled aloud at the pout on her face, and she looked up from stirring to stick her tongue out at him.

But a ghost of a smile touched her lips after.

Appo watched the exchange raptly, a slight frown forming on his face, but said nothing. Curious but lost, or doubting he had the clearance to speak perhaps. Rex could tell the sergeant was still far from being comfortable with regarding the commander so informally himself. But he seemed to value the insight Rex's interactions revealed about her behavior and he assessed them both closely as he could without being too obvious.

At least to Ahsoka.

Rex was aware, and sought to maintain the image he desired to project for this reason. Not just for Appo's benefit, but all his men. It was a constant dance of propriety and humanity and it seemed like he was tackling it so frequently, he marveled that he hadn't mastered it himself yet. Even so, he felt worlds apart from the man at his side in this regard. Had he ever been like that? He probably had at some point, but it was so far-removed by a time much shorter than it seemed, and a copious amount of happenings.

Rex stole another glance at Ahsoka.

The commander herself had played a large part in that, and it was something he was very grateful for.

Across from them, her master seemed to tune into his padawan's sentiments as well.

"Something wrong, Snips?"

Anakin smirked, chin on his hand. He waved a nearly-empty glass in the other. Beside him Padme slipped her eyes over them all, lingering upon each with kindness and content.

Ahsoka could feel the senator's emotions through the force, her present happiness strong and bright, practically radiating from her. A warm and companionable glow that she cast out and enveloped them all with unknowingly. Even Rex and Appo reacted to it, aware or otherwise, backs straightening, but force signatures softening under her gaze. Anakin was ablaze with it.

"No, Master."

Rex watched the jedi regard Ahsoka with amusement for a moment before standing. He gave a slight bow to the Senator before swiping her empty glass and giving a tease of a salute.

"Alright then. Going to get the lady another drink. You kids be good while I'm gone."

Padme gave a shake of her head as he sauntered away, then took another bite of the food in the pewter bowl before her. It was a deep red soup with a splash of cream and herbs atop, rich and fragrant, still curling smoke. She sipped gracefully, shoulders back and neck tall, but after the small taste she made a funny expression. A lift of eyebrows and a widening of her eyes.

"I'm not sure I like this one." She spoke as though to herself before glancing up at the others. "Should've gone for something a little less showy. How's yours?" She shot Appo a small questioning smile.

Rex saw him start at the direct question, watched him struggle to form a response for a second. The sergeant's eyes flicked between his food and the woman who was regarding him with uncertainty.

"Its...very good, Senator." He responded at last, taking up another bite of his own under her gaze.

She beamed at him, lacing her fingers and glancing across the table. "I'm glad. How about you two? Ahsoka? Captain?"

"No complaints here, Senator," Rex answered. Beside him Ahsoka fidgeted a little.

"The food's great. Can't say much about the drinks, though."

Padme laughed.

A sense of unease seemed to lift from the padawan's shoulder's at the sound, and she finally grinned, large and bright in return, before plucking up her fork.

"When Master promised an exciting night, I have to admit I wasn't exactly picturing this." She gestured with the fork at their surroundings before shoveling a lump of the mashed root dish before her in her mouth and munching with a thoughtful expression.

Padme snorted, and Rex observed that she managed to do even that with dignity.

"Neither was I." The senator glanced around the room, openly suspicious. "Something always happens when he's around. To be perfectly honest, I'm kind of surprised something hasn't happened yet... It must be because you guys are here."

She gave them all a sudden look of such conspiracy and mock-accusation that Ahsoka choked on the bite she had just taken and Rex had to hide a chuckle behind a hand. Appo sat frozen as though unsure whether to apologize in the face of such accusation or accept the dressing down in silence. The joke was lost on him, and though the effect it had on the sergeant made the captain feel like laughing further, it also made him inwardly groan.

He had his work cut out for him with that one.

He was about to let Appo know that it had, in fact, been nothing more than joke but the Senator came to his rescue, placing a hand on the sergeant's forearm and giving him an open grin.

"Which I'm thankful for. Sometimes things can get a little too exciting."

She wiggled her eyebrows and Ahsoka giggled. Appo gave a tentative but relieved smile back and Padme nodded before returning to her soup once more. Rex had always liked the Senator, and her presence and way of approaching things this evening only seemed to endear her to him further. He watched her eat for a short while, an appreciation of her company and previous interaction with Appo lightening his mood greatly.

A sudden scuffle at the bar caught Rex's attention.

He looked over just in time to see Anakin stumble away from an unknown woman at the drink counter a bit, backing away clumsily in his haste. That alone set warning bells off in the Captain's head. Anakin was not a clumsy person by any stretch of the word.

The jedi regained his balance and shook his head as though clearing it, before looking back in the woman's direction. But she was gone, vanished into the crowd, and Rex had lost sight of her as well since his attention had fallen on Anakin for the moments it took him to reorientate himself. Rex watched his general cast one last glance over his shoulder as he walked before shaking his head of it and sliding back into his chair. He slipped the fresh drink in front of Padme.

He looked vaguely ill. Rex peered at him closely.

"Everything alright, Sir?"

Everyone looked up at Rex briefly at the query, before turning their eyes on Anakin with curiosity.

"Did something happen?" Padme leaned in to study his face.

Ahsoka narrowed her eyes, as though sensing something amiss and cast a shrewd glance at her master before her eyes drifted to the bar.

But Anakin just shook his head, although he brought a hand up to his temple, palpating the skin there.

"Nah, nothing. Just some...weird..." He wobbled a bit in his seat, and Padme rose and reached out to steady him, catching his shoulders as her chair scraped across the floor behind her. Her eyes darted paths across his face in concern as she tried to catch his focus.

"...Ani?"

The jedi pulled his hand away from his face to regard her blankly for a moment, his eyebrows knitting and he blinked slowly at her, as though trying to claim a fragment of recognition to his gaze.

Then his hand fell to his lap just as suddenly as his other one reached up and cupped her chin in one smooth, swift maneuver, and held it there steadily, balanced upon his fingertips.

Rex watched the two stare at each other for a timeless moment as though in slow-motion, the Senator's eyes widening in surprise. A sudden sense of something feeling very off caused him to spring to his feet.

By the time he had made it around the table, Anakin had pulled the senator into an abrupt and tight embrace, his lips upon hers, kissing her even as she blinked in muted surprise. After a second the realization of what was happening seemed to hit her and she struggled to pull away.

Rex was at Anakin's side then, a firm grip on his arm as he pried him away from Padme. He was a half second ahead of Appo, who jumped up from his seat in time to catch the senator as she stumbled back when the two were parted. Across the table, Ahsoka was rooted to her seat, eyes and mouth wide with shock.

Rex pulled Anakin back to his chair and the jedi crumpled there, as though his energy was spent, shaking his head with disorientation. He blinked up at the man who still held his arms from behind.

"...Rex?" He guessed, then groaned and lurched forward. He would have hit the ground face-first had Rex not been holding his arms. Ahsoka practically leapt over the table and knelt beside her master, although she looked as clueless as Rex.

The captain stood immobile himself and was completely lost as to what to do. He had no idea how to proceed. Remembering the senator, he peered at her over the folded form of his general.

Padme stood, a little shakily, still supported by Appo from behind with her back against his chest and his hands at her elbows. She stared down at Anakin with incredulity before blinking at him for a few moments. Then she shook her head and brought her fingertips to her lips, running them lightly across the surface. Her brow furrowed as she did so, and she pulled her fingers away sharply to look at them.

A scant glint of realization crossed her face and she blinked down at the jedi in surprise before her eyes found Rex.

"He's been drugged."

Ahsoka leapt up.

"Poison?"

Her voice wavered faintly with fear, but Padme shook her head.

"No, it's a drug for making people... more agreeable to...relationships."

"Relationships?" Ahsoka blinked at Padme in confusion for a moment before it seemed to dawn on her what the Senator meant. "...oh."

The padawan gave the large and glamorous bar a sweep with her eyes in astonishment. The splendor of it all now seemed a brilliant display of hidden fouls, tangled in the music, looped in the steps of the patrons. Secrets. Suspect. When she glanced back at Padme, her eyes were large and she raised a hand, encompassing the people in the room with a sweep of it, while staring at her master in obvious puzzlement.

"But why would anyone want to do that to Sky-Guy?"

If the situation had been different, Rex would've laughed. But he was feeling far too uneasy just then. He turned his eyes to Padme, taking her own state in carefully as he did so.

"Senator, are you sure?"

She nodded, tracing a fingertip across her lips once more. "Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending how you look at it, I received awareness classes and training on these kinds of things growing up in a political position. I was exposed to this one as well as several others for the sake of familiarity and immunity. I'd recognize it by feeling on my lips even if Anakin wasn't displaying the obvious symptoms." She took a deep breath then nodded to Appo, who stepped away hesitantly, arms still out in case she was misjudging of her balance.

But she stepped over to Anakin without incident, although a bit clumsily and knelt in front of him alongside Ahsoka.

The togruta peered at her closely. "How did he get drugged? With a drink?"

Padme shook her head. "No. The same way he shared it with me. By a kiss." She spoke matter-of-factly, as though these kinds of things simply happened from time to time. Rex thanked his lucky stars once again that he wasn't expected to participate in or be overly knowledgeable in politics.

Ahsoka almost fell back to the floor. "Someone kissed him?" She glanced at the drink counter again. "It must've been when he was getting your drink.I thought I felt something strange from that direction when he got back." A look of anger clouded her face briefly before she turned to the woman beside her in uncertainty.

"You don't seem to be as affected."

Padme shook her head. "No, I wouldn't be. I've had previous exposure, and I'm female. It's more potent on males."

Ahsoka grimaced, though at the thought of the drug itself or someone wishing to drug her master was anyone's guess. Rex found himself in agreement with her sentiments and had the sudden urge to order them all out of there. That wasn't his call, though.

"With...respect Senator, what should we do about the general?"

He shifted from one foot to the other, his arms beginning to twinge from maintaining the grip on Anakin, more preventing the jedi from falling than restraining him at this point.

Padme rose, wobbling slightly, and Ahsoka sprung to her feet to offer an arm for support.

"The symptoms will fade with time. There's not much to do otherwise...Sleep is best." She brought a hand to her forehead, rubbing her fingers across as though mediating a headache. When she looked up at Rex her eyes were slightly dazed. "Bring him to my room."

Rex nodded and released the jedi's arms in favor of bending down beside him and looping the man's arms over his shoulders. He rose and half supported, half pulled Anakin to his feet. The jedi's head lolled against his shoulder for a second before it snapped up and he blinked at Rex again. Although dazed, he seemed to recognize the captain, and made an effort to use his legs. He scrunched up his face before raising his eyebrows, eyes closed, leaning heavily against the shoulder pauldron.

"Bad day, Rex?" He asked.

"I guess you could say that, sir."

Anakin frowned, still unseeing.

"How many did we lose?"

He was really out of it. "...None, sir."

A small grin broke out on the jedi's face and he gave Rex's chestplate a good-natured but clumsy smack as they began hobbling to the turbolift just outside the hotel's bar. They were getting some very odd looks, which Rex pointedly ignored in favor of keeping them both upright.

"That's a good day then, Rex. A...g'day." Anakin mumbled into his side.

Rex pressed the button to go up as Padme approached with Appo. The sergeant supported her with one arm, Rex's helmet tucked beneath the other, and his own helmet on his head. Rex couldn't see his face but he could tell by the way the sergeant walked that he wasn't too unhappy with the turn of events. It was highly likely the dinner party hadn't been his idea of fun, either.

Ahsoka lingered at the doorway to the bar with a scowl and Rex shot her a questioning look. She gestured for them to go ahead without her.

"You guys get them to the room. I'm going to do a little snooping for our...'forward' friend."

Rex sighed, knowing he had no power to prevent the commander from doing as she liked, but wishing she hadn't made that choice. Like her master, she tended to be a magnet for misadventures, and he'd had enough of those for one night. But, like times before, he nodded in an assent he didn't feel and put his mind where it would be most helpful to the current problem given the options available to him. The doors slid open and they all stepped inside, luckily alone for the trip.

When they reached the floor of the Senator's room, Anakin seemed to be regaining some sense, although his bodily coordination was still hopeless. Rex struggled to steer him in the right direction as Padme and Appo overtook them, and stopped before her room, several doors down.

Padme typed in the key-code and the door slid open to a lavish and perfumed, silk-draped and candle-lit abode. Appo helped her across the room and to a sofa which sat in a sunken half-circle in the middle of the room, then dashed off to get a glass of water at her request.

Rex half pulled, half rolled Anakin onto the cushions beside the Senator which she gestured to with a pat of her hands. Rex helped her position him in way that looked supportive of sleeping, although he tossed and turned against their hands, groaning.

Appo returned with the water and Padme accepted the glass gratefully, sitting upright to drink it, then setting it on the refreshment table beside the sofa and leaning over Anakin to run a hand softly across his brow.

At the touch his eyes opened and he took a minute to find focus in them, before he recognized her at last, and gave her a cheeky grin.

"Hey."

Padme let out a long breath, but with a smile to her eyes. "Hey." She finally said back, her face a mixture of tenderness and amusement. She looked up at Rex and Appo and gave them both a deeply warm and reassuring smile.

"I've got him now. You guys better go...find Ahsoka." Anakin seemed oblivious to anything but Padme and reached up to run a thumb down the side of her face.

Rex could see Appo twitch out of the corner of his eye.

Padme pushed the jedi's hand away softly, though with an ease that suggested it wasn't too unfamiliar of a gesture and brushed a stray lock of hair out of her eyes.

It fell across Anakin's face and he stared at it in astonishment as though he'd never laid eyes on something of such wonder in his life. He began twirling it between his fingers, watching the shine of the overhead light weaving a path across the surface as he maneuvered it between finger and thumb.

"She's almost as bad as Anakin when it comes to trouble..." Padme continued.

Anakin had wrapped her hair around his fingers and was bringing it his nose to sniff.

Rex watched him a little uneasily, casting a questioning glance at Padme.

"Senator, are you sure you want us to leave him here? We can..."

"Yes." Padme smiled at them very sweetly although her voice was sounding a little strained, and Anakin was grinning and wiggling beneath her, whispering something into her hair. Rex didn't hear what the jedi said, but whatever it was it caused the senator to blush profusely. She glanced down at him before returning her gaze to the men standing before her, eyes growing desperate.

"We're fine. Please..." Anakin wrapped an arm around her back, his fingers walking a path up her backbone "... hurry to Ahsoka!"

It was then that Rex recognized the haste in her voice not as uncertainty or discomfort regarding the situation, but rather...the opposite.

His eyes widened with realization and he stepped back at once. As though in affirmation of his deduction, the senator's gaze became grateful. So very grateful. He struggled not to turn on his heel and bolt from the room in embarrassment.

He gave a quick nod and salute before ramming his helmet back over his head and grabbing Appo's arm, making a quick path back to the turbolift.

He looked back once, and only to ensure the door to the chamber had closed properly. The lift seemed to take an excruciatingly long time to arrive.

Appo was hesitant to go, and kept looking back at the senator's door over his shoulder as they waited for the lift.

"Sir. Are you sure it was best to...leave the General with the Senator?"

He seemed to be battling with himself, judging by the way he shifted from one foot to another. The ingrained duty of following orders, and loyalty to his general vs the natural response of protectiveness he felt towards the Senator who had so recently grasped his arm in aid.

Any romantic nuances had apparently gone over his head. Rex sighed at his luck. The one order the Sergeant did question, he really didn't feel like discussing...

He gave Appo one long, even look that offered no disagreement.

"The Senator's more than capable of deciding what's best for her. If she'd felt the situation would've been handled better otherwise, she would've said so. These were her orders. They aren't for us to question."

Appo straightened a little, appearing visibly chastened. "Yes Sir."

Rex groaned behind his helmet. This night hadn't gone anything like he'd hoped at all.

When they got back to the main floor, Ahsoka was waiting for them, arms crossed and she shook her head at their approach.

"Nothing. No luck. Whoever that creep was, they're gone." She looked up at them hopefully. "How's Master? Are he and Padme doing better? Are they both asleep?"

Rex assumed they were doing just dandy, although he doubted they were sleeping.

"I'm sure they'll be fine."

Ahsoka blew out a long breath and looked around, eyes flitting around the lobby and between the rush of citizens within. The polished floor squeaked beneath her boots a she spun to face them, eyemarkings raised. She flashed them a toothy grin.

"So whattaya say, boys? Down for some games at the arcade room, or wanna try our luck at the bar again?"

Appo turned to the captain in question, and Rex crossed his arms and looked down at her from behind the visor.

"Kid, after this fiasco, none of us is putting a foot in another bar for a good, long time, if I can help it."

...

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.

This one is actually one of the oldest tidbits I had outlined, before Tales of Coruscant came to be. I had planned it as a one-shot, but after filling it out a bit, and remembering it took place on Coruscant, I figured it belonged here. And I have plans to bring Rex and the others to cross paths with my other characters eventually, so I wanted him to show up with at least one of his own short tales before I did that.

I hope you guys liked it. Anakin and Padme sure got some love in it. Ha :D

MS CT-782: I really worded that terribly. I have to go back and rethink it. I meant Fetcher's reference of Jango as Mandalorian more as his lifestyle rather than birth place (Ala Karen Traviss' Take on him ) but I did it poorly.

Cozzizzie: I'm glad you like them. I'm getting attached too. When I wrote the first chapter, Trust and Hatch were just an afterthought, someone to help Thorn briefly. Now that I wrote about I like them a lot lol

CaptainReb: Thank you. I hope I don't disappoint!


	16. Lex

...

Lex

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Lex wandered the pillared halls of the of the University slowly, a hand trailing the paneling of the corridor at his left and intermittently dodging the gaggles of students passing by to his right. The crowd was dappled with rainbows beneath the light that spilled through the tall mosaic windows on the sweeping arches of the walls, and he spared a grin at the effect it had not only on the others but also himself as he walked.

Though most of the citizens passed him by without notice, a few stopped short to cast him piqued glances. Small stints in the flow of foot traffic which caused a mild but humorous collision now and then. Lex continued on as though he was oblivious for the sake of not upsetting things further, although he found some amusement in the reaction he caused. He'd never imagined himself considerable as anything worthy of distraction. Having always been surrounded by others of such similar appearance, it was hard to imagine anything which was distracting about himself. But here he was the odd one out. The novelty of it brought a soft grin to his lips.

Beyond this small bout of humor he walked for long minutes, taking in each of the sights and sounds he found so alien and wondrous.

The intricate signs overhead were illuminated with symbols and directions but Lex still found himself having a difficult time locating the lounge he was searching for. Apparently there were twenty-six of them on that level alone. He paused at the top of a grand staircase just as an overhead chime of sorts rang sudden and shrill through the passages.

The sergeant found his thoughts floundering in the silence of its wake, curious and unsure of how to react. He hadn't noticed he was alone until then and mused at the purpose of the kreen.

Alone but for one man approaching from further down the hallway, his face hidden behind a perilous stack of books teetering upon his forearms.

The man apparently didn't notice the trooper at the top of the stairs and practically bowled him over as he passed. Lex side-stepped to avoid a collision and watched the man continue in his passage, oblivious to pretty much everything else as well. The sounds of various grunts and "oomfs" resounded in his wake. A few doors down the curious man paused to fumble with a door, nudging the opening mechanism with a perilous knee. The door hissed open without incident, but the man misjudged the opening and caught the frame with an elbow, sending his arm's contents scattering across the floor with a clatter made deafening in the silence.

"Ah, twice now..." the man mumbled as he stooped to retrieve his fallen assortment.

Lex approached, still unnoticed by the strange and harried man, and knelt to scoop up some flimsi that had fled the man's arms to fan out in all directions. He gathered them neatly to his forearm before shuffling them once upon the floor and holding them out to their owner with a bemused smile.

The man seemed to notice the trooper before him for the first time as he balanced the books once more in his arms and he squinted at Lex curiously for a moment before catching sight of the stack in his hands.

Recognition lit his eyes and with a quick nod of affirmation and a brief smile of thanks, he motioned for Lex to pile them on top of the books in his arms. Lex eyed the stack which seemed bound to fall again at any moment and shook his head slowly. He gestured that he would carry what he held and follow, lest the pile go toppling again.

A brief lift of the eyebrows from the man but he nodded and led the way inside.

The room was a mess of stacked books and posters, thick with diagrams and sketches, cluttered with models and projectories of various celestial bodies. He had to sidestep quite a few sundry piles as he made his way to the large and cluttered desk to one corner of the room.

Before him the man was hopping to parse the books in his arms about the space, sorting to stacks based on a system which was indecipherable to the trooper.

Lex settled on placing the papers he held on the desk's surface and turned to go, but he couldn't keep his eyes from passing over the contents of the room in amazement as he did so. He'd never seen so many flimsi books in his life, and found himself pondering the things they might have contained. Subconciously his eyes lit on each of the ancient peculiars as he passed, the worn and tattered corners of them dancing in his vision.

He had an overwhelming urge to pluck one, any one, from its place on the teetering stacks. To feel the cool weight of the firm cover and the slip-crinkle of the pages turning beneath his fingers. They were solid and mystical things to him, even so shuffled and worn and lain haphazardly about. A whole room of the intriguing things which appeared to him much like a vault of treasures.

Certainly the information of the holo variety was far more vast and varied, but here, in these simple objects it seemed somehow so much more tangible. Words that could be felt and traced by the fingertips, stories that could be gripped in the hand with pages brushing against the palm. Held and read and kept, unchanging.

Books had always been a source of utmost fascination to him. Something revered since he'd learned of them in training back when he was two. It was a secret dream, unspoken. Sacred.

He'd snuck into an off-limits lab back on Kamino as a cadet once on the heresay that there had been flimsi manuals locked within. The effort had been fruitless and he'd been punished severely, although he'd still felt the seeking had been worth it.

One of the volumes on top of a stack at his right caught his eye as he passed and he paused mid stride to let his eyes fall upon the golden embossed lettering on its cover and linger there briefly. How much he wanted to just brush his fingers across it. But he knew how ridiculous that might appear, so he settled on a quick glance before continuing his step.

As a soldier of the GAR he was forbidden any tangible personal items which weren't proprietary to his gear or any assignment he might be given. Many brothers broke this rule to various degrees and in a variety of ways: unsanctioned videos or images on HUD's or holopads, secret food items, small trinkets. There were even some who had flimsi-zines tucked under their bunks. But those were generally not for amusement of the mental persuasion and didn't contain what Lex revered or sought from pages.

As a trooper serving on Coruscant Lex did receive a small stipend for recreational use at the local eateries or pubs like everyone else, and he'd considered saving it to purchase a book of his own. But he hadn't thus far been able to bring himself to purchase something defiant of the regs. As a sergeant he felt it was his role to do things per the rules, lest he set a bad example for his men. Force knew they needed no encouragement in that area...

With one last glance of longing at the books, Lex passed through the doorway.

"Ah, wait!"

The man called from across the room and Lex swiveled in response.

"...Yes, sir?"

A very clumsy approach encompassing a few knocked over stacks and a half- slip on some lab equipment on the floor, and the man stumbled to his side, nearly careening into the door jam. Lex caught his elbow with a hand and righted him, and they both looked over his shoulder at the mess in his wake.

"Ahem. Well." The man shook his head and straightened himself up with a habitual gesture of dusting himself off as he did so. "...I'll clean that up later."

He fixed Lex with a curious and deeply studious expression.

"Are you looking for...your class? I'm Professor Danes, by the way. Thank you for your help." He reached out and took Lex's hand before he could initiate the greeting. "I saw you looking around at the top of the stairs. Maybe I can point you in the right direction."

Lex was surprised. He hadn't thought the man noticed him at all. The helmet clipped to his belt clacked slightly against his thigh plate as he shifted with a slight discomfort under the man's scrutinizing stare. He was confounded by the question. Surely, given that the man had eyes, he'd noticed what Lex was, and how ridiculous a question it was to ask if he attended there.

Then again, maybe not. The professor looked like he had the honest desire to be helpful, and his gaze seemed to be one of curiosity rather than mocking or disdain.

"I don't attend, sir. Just...looking for someone."

"Oh. Well, whose class are they in?"

"Er...he doesn't attend either. He's just visiting as well, and supposed to be in a lobby on this level. I'm fine with directions, sir. I can radio him, I just wanted to..." Lex gave his surroundings an awed and respectful glance that wasn't lost on Professor Danes, "look around a little."

"I noticed."

Lex blinked at the now smiling man in surprise, unsure of how to respond.

"How much time do you have before you have to meet him?" There was a mischief in the man's eyes that confused Lex, and he took a half step back, suddenly eager to be going.

"Was there something you needed of me, sir? If not I'll be on my way."

"Professor Dane. Call me Professor Dane." He shook his hands in front of himself exuberantly. "And, yes I think I do need you for something. Come back in here for a moment before you go." He turned and beckoned the trooper with a wave over his shoulder.

Lex hesitated briefly at the threshold, but complied at last, picking his way across the room until he stood at the middle of it beside the strange man. He regarded the professor with a polite curiosity out of the corner of his eyes.

"What did you need, s-Professor Danes?"

Danes was squinting around the room and tapping his chin in thought.

"There was something...hm. Which one?"

He stepped over to a stack of books that marked the path to the large desk like a walkway. On top lay a particularly striking book, old and worn but large and engraved with a lacy golden ink. With the practiced grace of one who had held many, many such items in one's life, Danes plucked it up and flipped back the cover. The pages spun beneath his fingers and he walked trails with fingertips the length of several. His eyes flitted over the passages and lit with the absorption of the contents.

The look he gave Lex after a minute was mischief and approval and light.

"This is a good one." With a curt nod and a snap, the book was folded in his palm and he was traversing the room back to the trooper who was extremely confused at this point.

A confusion which grew when the man came to a stop right in front of him and held out the book to him.

"This is the one you were looking at, right? Go ahead. Have a look. Tell me what you think of it. "

Lex was at a loss for words. It was the very same tome which had caught his eye and he had marveled at earlier. But how could the man possibly have noticed something he had glanced at so briefly, amid hundreds of others? He wasn't entirely sure what the man wanted him to reveal about it either.

But he took it with unsteady hands and brought it close to his face to see the inscription on the cover better, releshing the feel of it in his hands.

Danes watched the soldier as he went through the motions of familiarity with the book, a grin finding its way and settling there. He had been correct in the admiration he had thought he'd glimpsed out of the corner of his eye and the impressions of unmasked marvel he had felt from the trooper through the force. It had been a long time since he'd been privy to such a wonderful pulling of unadulterated admiration between someone of the living force and the unliving objects he himself also revered.

He saw the young man balance it on one hand, then run gloved fingertips across the indentations on the surface, tracing each symbol as though they were sacred runes whispering the secrets of the universe. After a minute, he looked up to the professor, his eyes flitting across his face as though verifying that it was indeed ok to read further. Danes nodded and he opened the cover carefully and riddled the first crisp page at his fingertips and traced a rippling path through the words as he read the first page, then the next. And ten more after. Swiftly but deeply and with a pronounced tenderness that made Danes want to laugh out loud.

But he didn't. He dared not, for fear of disturbing the immense wonder which was unfolding before him.

After a time had passed which seemed endless but was in reality fairly brief, Lex pulled his eyes from the page he was reading long enough to pull himself back to the present and close the book. He stared at it for a minute more, before holding it back to Professor Danes. His face was gratitude and awe, and his eyes were far away. His force signature burned with passionate satisfaction.

"Thank you. I'd never held one before."

Danes hitched an eyebrow.

"Everything you imagined?"

Lex nodded. "And more."

Danes laughed finally and gave Lex a pat on the hand and shoved the book back to him with a shake of his head.

"Good. Good. Take it. It's yours."

...

Lex is my bibliophile ;)

Ok guys, this probably makes me extremely dorky, but I've been doodling a lot lately and did some sketches for this story. Just pen and pencil stuff, and nothing fancy (please don't laugh at me too much, ha... ^_^), but I uploaded them to a deviant art gallery so you can check them out if you like. The account name is Teetertott.

TGP: ;)

Cozzizzie: I like Appo ^_^

CaptainReb: I think I'm going to maintain Thorn's amazing last stand, although I might fudge the after-path. I thought he was awesome and told myself he needed a backstory! I really do like him a lot. I've had thoughts of an alternate fate for him, where he survives, but is decommissioned from service due to the severity of his injuries. Taken in by Padme and later has a hand in the raising of Leia.

I've had several requests for Cody, so I'll be doing him next!

Still cooking up something for him. Probably action-y. Let me know if you guys have any ideas or requests. :)


	17. Cody

Cody

...

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Somewhere along the line it had all gone terribly, terribly wrong, and Obi-wan was still trying to make sense of it as a stool came sailing overhead and crashed into the wall behind him. It fell to the floor with a metallic clatter and the wall spat thick splinters in its wake.

The jedi rose and dusted himself off with an air of dubious amusement. He gave the men around him a soft smile and swept a hand before them in a consoling manner.

"I truly am sorry for any misundertandings we-"

The sound of glass being smashed and then crunched amid the grunts and clatter of wrestling caught his attention briefly, and he rasied an eyebrow at the tangled forms on the floor before continuing.

"...may have caused. And we will be going on our way now."

Those flanking him were harsh lines and menacing faces, unmoved by his words and terrible in the sallow flickering light.

"Right...er, Cody?"

A scream trailing a body made an arc across the room and collided with the bar, sending more glass objects to the floor with a cascade of shards.

Cody wiped the back of his hand across his mouth and began plucking small shards of glass from his bodysuit in the places his armor didn't cover with a hitched eyebrow. He had an air of tempered satisfaction about him.

"As you say, General."

His eyes flitted across the men around them with indifference and he made an exaggerated gesture of dusting off a shoulder bell as he crossed the room to the door.

Obi-wan kept his hands raised, a wide smile, as he backed in that direction also.

"Just a misunderstanding. Right, gentlmen?"

...

.

An hour later, they were walking back to the main security complex, bodies a little worse for the wear, but moods boosted somewhat.

"You know, that wasn't quite the evening I had in mind when I invited you out for drinks..." Obi-wan mused, glancing sideways to his companion with hands linked behind his back.

Cody gave him a half smile, stretching a busted lip. He shifted his helmet to the other hand to run a fingertip across. He was pleased to note that it wasn't leaking anymore. Still zinged something fierce, though. It made him grin more.

"That's all right, sir."

Obi-wan shook his head.

"When Anakin hears about this..."

The trooper on duty gave them both an indiscreet once over, taking in their disheveled state in obvious shock, his helmet swiveling between them.

"Is everything all right, sirs?"

"Oh yes, quite so." The jedi's eyes were on the tall building across the street, scanning the advertising neons. A mischievous grin crossed his face and he turned back to the guard.

"There seems to have been a disturbance at a bar a few blocks down the way. Zinghets, I think it was called. A lot of fellows requiring some medical and...legal assistance there. If you could call it in for me..."

"Yes, General." The guard snapped a crisp salute and began doing so immediately.

Cody gave Obi-wan a look. "We're not going to do it ourselves, General?"

The jedi gave his beard a few strokes, his eyes narrowed and cheerfully impish. His face caught the light of the overhead neons as he turned and fixed Cody with a slow smile.

"I have a better idea."

...

Cody sat perfectly upright on the polished bench, hands clasped in his lap and eyes roving slowly from side to side. Beside him a large decorated pot presented a display of tailored ferns which gave off a fresh, green scent. Across the space an indoor fountain gurgled, the water splashing a pretty path down shimmering stones, and above the light was toned with pearled overlays. A soft melody came from a sound device on the edge of the large counter where Obi-wan stood.

The general was bent over, elbows on the sheen of the marbled surface, discussing something with the receptionist.

Cody listened while trying to make it look like he wasn't.

The receptionist gave a small hum of consideration and tapped a stylus upon the holochart before her, pursing lips.

"I've got two of my girls still on shift right now." She turned to glance at the holoclock behind her. "One is just about finished with her current client and the other has about half an hour left with hers. I can schedule one of you for right now and the other a little after. Is that ok?"

"Oh yes, that's fine. Thank you, my dear.'

The recpetionist gave him a nod, her eyes once again roving his face and shirt curiously. "Would you like to pay now or after?"

"Ah, now's fine." He plopped a sum of credits on the counter and slid them across to her. She gave him another odd look, but then shook her head of it and took the apropriate amount from the stack and slid the remaining ones back to him as well as two charts.

"Fill these out please. Your therapists will be with you shortly."

He winked at her and she gave a tentative smile back before returnng to the holochart and scratching some things in.

Obi-wan sat beside Cody and presed one of the charts into his hands.

Cody perused the lengthy questionnaire, confused.

"They require medical data?"

"Better safe than sorry, I suppose." The jedi began filling in the boxes with the attached stylus and Cody took up the task without further questions, though many raced through his mind.

As he sat filling out the form he found himself astounded at the incredible variety of health conditions and ailments that civilians appeared to be prone to, becoming more and more aghast at each question. But he diligently set to answering each and every one with the appropriate check.

He had just finished signing the end when there was a sound of a door opening followed by the smart click of heels against the floor tiles. He and Obi-Wan both looked up to see a stunning woman step into the waiting area and watched as she made her way gracefully across it to the counter.

She was tall, nearly as tall as he, Cody thought, with a dress of golden gauze and her hair was like black braided silk woven intricately at the back of her head. She shared a laugh with the receptionist as she paid, then came to sit at the empty part of the bench beside Cody. She gave him a brilliant smile, dimmed somewhat by a curious expression as her eyes lingered on his lips and her eyebrow arched in question.

Cody flushed and pretended to check his chart for any missed questions.

He heard her give a soft snort beside him and she began rummaging in her purse, lifting some credits from a pocket within. She closed them in her fingers before giving him another smile and leaning over his chart.

"Who've you got?"

Cody blinked at her, unsure of what she meant.

She took the chart from his hands and tapped to return to the front page. Her smile widened and she winked.

"Lucky you. She's got magical hands. She really does."

She lifted her arms above her head and gave a long, feline stretch. "Feels like I can tackle the world just about now."

There were footsteps approaching from the passage once more, but this time muted and soft. The woman beside him rose, beaming. Another woman stepped into the soft glow of the waiting area and greeted the one who had risen with a grin and as they met in a brief embrace, Cody marveled at the contrast between them.

Everything the first woman was, this new woman was the opposite. Short where the first was tall, pale and thin where her friend was bronze and curves. She wasn't striking in any way.

But she had a modest look, tidy and friendly, a shine to her eyes and a pretty smile. She approached after her friend left and her eyes passed over them warmly as she retrieved their charts and skimmed them before nodding to Obi-wan.

"Maey will be with you soon. Cody? If you'll come with me?" She held out an arm for him to follow and he rose to do so. She dropped off Obi-wan's chart at the counter and made her way down the hall off the waiting room. Cody shot Obi-wan one last desperate look over his shoulder as he left. But the general just gave him an incorrigible grin.

...

.

.

The woman had been right.

Cody sat once more upon the bench in the waiting area, this time alone, but with a much different feeling. He looked around the room in open wonder. The soft sounds and lights now seemed unmatchable, soothing and peace, an abode worthy of gods.

He found himself entertaining the though that it might not be so bad being a regular citizen. All things considered. He had the flash of stars and cannons, the thrill of battle, the thrum of the larty and the feel of a blaster against his palms. His General. His brothers.

But they had...this.

He could still feel her hands on him. Firm and warm along his arms and back, finding and smoothing away anything and everything that wasn't harmony. Her thumbs weaving down his spine and between his shoulders, kneading his palms and feet. Her fingertips rubbing circles against his scalp.

The beautiful woman had spoken of magic and he had received it. He felt impossibly light and new, and he sat, blinking and thinking beneath the rosy lights, enchanted.

He'd never doubt the general again.

She emerged from the passage a little later, soft feet and the swish of a light jacket. She had changed to street clothes and turned in her holopad to the receptionist with a cheerful farewell.

She approached Cody with a smile, which he returned in honesty. She made him feel oddly wonderful in a way he wasn't used to. Her hands had been the most intimate anyone's had ever been upon him , and it made him feel warm in a way he found difficult to describe. Not romantic or anything of that nature but...brotherly? In a female way. Maybe that was how mothers felt. She felt...comforting. He felt safe, with her hands on him, and in her presence.

"Here." She held out something for him to take and he took it, his smile fading with question.

"For your lip. It's a salve." She made a pass with her fingertips over her lips as she spoke.

Cody nodded in acknowledgment and gave her a shy smile of thanks. She returned it and walked across the room to open the door to the lobby outside the clinic, giving him a small wave.

"Come back to see me whenever, ok?"

He nodded.

He hoped.

...

Aiya ruffled through her bag as she walked across that level's lobby to the lift, pulling out her comlink to let Fox know she had finished her shift. As she rezipped her bag she grinned, her thoughts finding and lingering on Cody. He had been so formal at first, and obviously one who gave orders and took command easily. Yet he had been reduced to a shy timidness by her.

It made her giggle a little. But he had also been kind, and endearing. He reminded her of Fox more than a bit. She wondered if they knew each other. That'd be neat if they did. She'd have to ask. The doors to the lift opened as she approached and three men stepped out.

She gave them a smile and they paused to glance at her. The last one off the lift eyed her briefly before he spoke.

"Hello, Miss. Going home for the night?"

"Yes." She blinked at them in confusion. The only place still open on that floor was the clinic, and it was about to close. "Are you lost?" She asked politely.

The man looked at her for a moment before he gave her a sweet smile in response. 'Actually, we are looking for someone. Two men. A jedi and a soldier. The main reception said they asked about the clinic on this level."

'Ah, yes. They're there." She returned his smile. "You're friends?"

"Yep! Could you point us to the right door? Im afrain we've never been here before."

"It's that one." She pointed across the lounge at the green door on the other side.

"Thank you, Miss!" He winked at her. " You have a good night."

He held the door open for her and she stepped inside the turbolift with a nod of thanks.

A sudden chill hit her, icy strings lacing their way up her backbone as his jacket brushed against her hair when he moved away. Her hand hovered over the panel as she watched them all walking across the lobby.

Something felt wrong. Very wrong.

As if in confirmation the front man of the three withdrew a blaster from his jacket at that moment, long and mean, and their pace slowed. They were half way to the clinic.

Aiya's eyes widened and her fingers moved fast as a bird's heart, keying the distress code Fox had made her memorize into her com as her heart clenched with fear. In her haste she fumbled and it clattered to the floor.

The three men turned to face her in unison. The one with the blaster raised it at her, but the man who had spoken to her waved for him to lower it. He looked at Aiya and gave her another grin, a finger to his lips. He pointed between her and the blaster, then shook his finger.

She was dead if she made a sound.

Aiya knew that if she didn't give Cody a warning, he'd die. If she was silent and closed the doors fast enough she might live.

But she knew he would die.

She screamed.

...

Agh. I am so close to finishing this but it didn't happen. Sorry for the cliffie! It seemed like the best ( naughty) spot to split. I should have the rest up tomorrow night.

If you guys aren't too mad at me for how long this took, you can check out my new sister story, Tales of Kamino while you wait :)

Shout out to TGP 212th for making me another lovely cover, for TOK. She is a sweet and wonderful lady!


	18. Cody pt2

Cody pt. 2

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...

Cody jumped to his feet at the scream and sprinted to the door across the room as two shots rang out in successive claps. His blaster was drawn, his helmet slammed down on his head with pure reflex, in two heartbeats, four footsteps. He made a gesture for the receptionist to get down and stay down and she complied with a choked sound, eyes wild and wide.

He hit the button to open the door and rolled into the hallway, low and fast, blaster tucked to his chest. The wall and the floor shredded behind him, a writhing shadow to his movement with a hair's width of lag. He finally reached the cover of the lounge furniture in the center of the space and flung himself behind to return fire.

Two men stood on either side of the doorway he had just come through and he nicked one in the leg as they both dove for cover, one slipping behind a waste receptacle and the other disappearing with the aid of a large advertisement board.

Cody lined up a shot for the one behind the sign.

"Look out!"

He dropped instinctively at the call and a series of shots skimmed the apolstery above his head. He swiveled and aimed, then froze.

A third man was standing in front of the lift, one arm wrapped around a struggling Aiya. The interior panel of the turbolift lift sparked hot and bright at their backs and a charred comlink lay in smoking pieces at their feet.

Cody let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. So those had been the targets of the two shots from earlier...Aiya looked frightened but was otherwise unharmed.

The man paused his firing to grin down at the trooper who lay prone upon the floor, blaster whining with charge, poised to fire. But not firing.

The man was now very pleased in his decision to not kill the woman, but to use her instead. She had cost them the element of surprise, but would now make up for that. She had risked being shot to give them a warning. That meant they meant something to her, and she to them. How much he wasn't sure, but enough to stay the soldier's fire.

The man lifted his blaster in alignment with the trooper's helmet slowly, lazily and smirking. The other two men took up post on either side of the door, ready to catch the jedi in crossfire when he exited.

Cody heard the click of their weapons and the soft quick sound of feet from within. He spun and fired at the man on the left, knowing he only had a second to warn the jedi about to run through, whose attention he knew would automatically fall to him and the man holding the woman.

He knew he was a dead man, either way. He'd have to trust Obi-wan to save Aiya. The man at the door slumped to the floor as the man behind him fired.

Cody flinched, expecting the searing pass of the shot in his back or head, but it missed, kicking up a chunk of floor instead. Another shot rang wild and high, striking the ceiling and raining plaster on him. He looked back over his shoulder in surprise.

Aiya was trying to wrestle the blaster from the man's grip and another shot struck the doorframe as Obi-wan emerged at last, undressed above the waist, lightsaber hissing to life. He deflected a blast from the man at his side but his eyes were on Cody and Aiya.

Cody sprang to his feet and charged the man who had just knocked down Aiya and leveled the blaster with her forehead. The commander struck before the man could pull the trigger, and they all tumbled into the lift as a concussive blast shook the floor beneath them.

The second man had taken advantage of the jedi's attending on them and lobbed a small impact grenade and only the jedi's swift reflex of knocking it away had saved him. Even so, he was flung back and harshly to the ground, and coughed raspily as he rose to his knees, his bare chest a mess of charred wound.

In the lift Cody was tangled with the man and they wrangled furiously with one another for advantage. Aiya rolled away and made a grab for the man's blaster but it was shot from her reach by the other man. It skittered across the floor and he took aim again, this time at her.

But Obi-wan used the force to send the nearby waste bin flying in his direction and he was forced to give up the shot to dodge. It was a last-ditch endeavor on the jedi's part, his front was blackened and bloody and he fell to his hands and knees again, hacking. He called out for Aiya to get to the stairs beside the lift, and she ran as the man opened fired on her.

She was a few feet from the opening when several Coruscant guards burst through the door and ran up to her, letting loose a stream of blasts over her head. The one in front caught her by the arm with a hand and swung her behind him as he continued firing. She was passed into the arms of the second trooper and he pulled her with him into the stairwell and behind the wall to safety. Her legs buckled and she collapsed to the floor as he fell to his knees in front of her, running his hands over her, checking for wounds.

"Aiya. Aiya, are you alright?"

She looked up at him through tears, but she gave a weak smile. "Hatch?" She guessed.

He shook his head and looked at her, hands pausing on her arms.

"Turns. Are you hurt?"

Aiya's eyes fell and hovered upon the bodies of two men strewn across the landing of the level below them. They were accomplices of the men inside by their dress and weapons. If she had run in before Turns had arrived...

"No." She tried to keep the tremble from her voice but her whole body was quaking. Turns tucked her face to his chest and wrapped his arms around her, turning her away from the bodies.

"It's alright. It's...the Commander's on his way," he spoke softly, running a hand over her hair. She gripped the back of his bodysuit tightly beneath his arms and felt the trembling ease somewhat . Relief flooded her at the mention of Fox, and Turns was warm and safe against her.

The other trooper ducked in and slid behind the wall with them amid a flurry of blasts and she and Turns turned their heads his way. Aiya caught sight of the small insignia on his helmet and realized it was Lex.

The sergeant looked down at them with a quick once-over, noting that Aiya looked spooked but otherwise ok.

Thank the force.

He dipped in and out of the doorway, returning fire while opening an internal channel with Turns.

"The commander seems to be handling himself but the general's in bad shape...Either way, we're getting her out of here, now." He bobbed his head to the stairs going up. "Take her up top. Commander's en route and he'll pick her up on the roof. Don't want to risk running into more of those guys from below."

Turns nodded and unwrapped his arms to pull Aiya to her feet. He grabbed his decee from the floor and took her hand, taking a step to the stairs. But she pulled against him and he turned to her in surprise.

She looked between them in panic. "We have to help them! That man, he's hurt. Cody's still fighting. And Maey and Sia are stil in the clinic! We can't leave them!"

Lex paused shooting to address her on an external comm. "Aiya, you need to go with Turns now. We came for you and we're getting you out of here. The commander can handle himself and jedi are stronger than they look." He looked at her, " I promise, I will get to your friends. But, you-" he dodged a shot which missed his head by centimeters "are going now." He returned another round of shots then jerked his head at Turns.

He pullled her up the stairs and she went.

...

Cody had finally gotten the man into a hold, although he was struggling to maintain his grip and had no way of retrieving his blaster without lessening his grip and diving for it. He wasn't quite ready for that at the moment. The man was much more experienced in combat than he had anticipated and it had taken great effort to get to this point. The face below him was bruised and now sported a swollen eye and cracked mouth. Cody could feel his own lips seeping from his head being slammed upon the floor a few times, reopening the old wound and making a few more. His helmet wasn't much help in that regard, although it was handy for decent head-butts. The man growled and cursed beneath his hands, writhing to free himself.

Beside him a member of the Coruscant guard was exchanging fire with the man across the room, keeping his attention from the General, who was doubled over and looking rather worse for the wear. For a minute the guard slipped back into the stairwell, then popped out again with a fresh wave of blasts.

He gave Cody a quick look, which didn't really look like anything considering he had a helmet on which rendered his expression invisible. But Cody caught what he had in mind and nodded.

He gripped the man in his arms tightly, waiting, ready.

The trooper fired again and Cody flung his opponent away, swift and hard into the wall of the lift and dove for his blaster. The man across the room began to once again return fire, his focus still on the other trooper, and he was shot down by Cody who used that moment and to his advantage.

He turned with gun trained on the other man as he rose from the ground with a bloodied scalp, glaring at them both.

The trooper kept his weapon on the man as Cody secured him with binders. He received a glob of spit on his boots in return, which he ignored. The trooper went to check on the women inside the clinic as Cody knelt beside Obi-wan. He helped ease him into a sitting position against the back of a sofa and pulled out his med-kt.

"You sure know how to spend a night, General," he teased as he gingerly applied some bacta on the blackened marks across his friend's chest. He tried to keep his tone light but there was worry in his voice, which even he could pick up.

Obi-wan chuckled, and although it caused him to clutch his abdomen in pain there was a twinkle to his eyes.

"And you thought I was just a boring old man..."

Cody was mock-appalled.

"Sir, I never..."

The jedi shook a finger at him. "Oh, don't try to deny it Commander. I can read your thoughts, you know..."

He was joking, Cody knew. They had discussed that before. Mind-reading. It had been an interesting conversation which had fallen very much in the jedi's favor and he's had a good run against Cody by it. He grinned and shook his head.

"Well, to be perfectly fair General, you really arent a spring nuna anymore...and Skywalker makes you seem terribly...crickety."

"He does, doesn't he?" Obi-wan ran a hand over his beard out of habit and he coughed. "I imagine..."

"Keep imagining, Kenobi." The man interjected from the floor, a crazed look of anger on his face.

Obi-wan blinked at him in genuine confusion. "Do I know you? Somehow this feels deeper than retaliation for a little bar brawl."

"You think this is about that?!"

"Well, no actually. Like I said-"

"This is about revenge, jedi. Your previous little scuffle just let us know you were here. We've been waiting for you."

"Revenge?" Obi-wan lifted an eyebrow. "For what? I don't believe we've met. Although..." His eyes passed over the man as though he was struggling to place him.

"You murdered my father and fleeced our planet, Republic filth."

"A battle, then." Cody looked at him. "Separatist?"

"Yes."

"The good kind, or the bad kind?"

Cody and the man both turned to Obi-wan with incredulous expressions.

He continued "I mean, because I've known some of both. There are some really bad eggs like Dooku and Grievous, of course. But also some very charming little communities. Why there's this one little village I visited once. It had the most lovely-"

"Shut. Up."

The jedi gave him a new look, narrowed eyes and calculation.

"Since you're obviously not interested in small talk, I'll admit I don't really have the passion for it either at the moment. So answer this, what is it you have up your sleeve, because for someone who's bound for a very miserable place without accomplishing what they set out to do, you seem very...content."

Cody glanced at the General with unease. What was he talking about?

The man before them cracked a wide grin and rolled onto his back so he could fix the ceiling with a demented smile.

"If you think you've won by subduing me, you're sadly mistaken Jedi. Try to leave the building, why don't you? Maybe...take the stairs?"

Obi-wan's eyes widened just as the sound of loud, peppering shots rang from above.

...

.

.

.

Turns and Aiya had reached the final landing and could hear the sound of the larty on the roof, engines whirring and hydraulics hissing. Turns let out a breath of relief and he gave Aiya's hand a squeeze.

"I bet Fay's waiting up for you. She'll have her three books all laid out and ready..."

Aiya felt a smile tugging at her lips.

He looked back at her and though she couldn't see his face, he spoke with his usual deadpan voice. "You should make the Commander read them all. Especially that one with all the rhymes."

She snorted. They all knew Fox hated that one, even though he read it repeatedly at Fayna's whim. So did Turns, actually. And everyone else. She had them all wrapped around her sweet little fingers so badly. All she had to do was look up at them with those big bright eyes and pout and they all did anything she asked.

Aiya was grinning and shaking her head as they stepped out onto the roof. Turns stopped short and she bumped into him and blinked past. She only had enough time to realize that the craft on the roof wasn't GAR operated, that it wasn't Fox...before they opened fire.

Turns swung and arm out behind him and knocked her back into the stairwell and she landed flat on her back as the shots whistled over her and connected with him. He was knocked back by the impact of several rounds and stumbled backwards over her just as a GAR ship surfaced over the lip of the building.

There was a pause, a moment in time where everything seemed to become still and silent, colorless and frozen.

Neither of the ships expected the other, everyone's breaths caught in surprise at the same time, that frozen moment. A dead standstill.

And then they were firing on each other in a frenzy of flashes and explosions and screams.

A scream.

It was hers.

It took Aiya a moment to realize that and her mouth snapped shut and her eyes squeezed pain and fear and her fingers pulled at the carpet to pull herself free from beneath Turns.

She scrambled loose and dragged him clear of the doorway, hitting the console with her hands so that it slid closed, pulling Turns' smearing red across the floor. The sight made her eyes stream but she finished what she set out to do and eased him to the carpet to look him over. She ran hands over him, as he had done to her earlier, feeling for wounds.

Her fingers snagged on the jagged edges of where his armor had been pierced and she pressed the spot tight with her palm, begging the flow of it to cease. He had four of these wounds, and she kneeled on him to stop up two with her knees and pressed her palms to the others.

Please, please, please someone, anyone...

She gasped as she felt something touch her leg. She looked down to see that Turns had fingertips to her ankle.

"Aiya..."

"Turns!" He was alive. "Hold on, ok?"

"They're..." He lifted his head a little and coughed. "...coming. No-" he coughed again and it sounded like liquid spraying the inside of his helmet "...worries."

He lowered his head and coughed wetly again.

"Turns!"

And then Cody and Lex were there, a med kit slapped to the floor and Lex rummaging through it while Cody took up guard at the door. Lex pulled off Turn's helmet and propped him up to prevent him choking.

"Aiya, lift your hand." Lex held up a small tube and looked between her fingers. He tapped the back of her hand and she lifted it slowly, reluctantly, not wanting even a fraction more liquid to escape from her friend's body. Lex squeezed some gel on the wound and smeared it with his fingers. "Coagulant" he said, to her.

It seemed to be working. Lex nodded at her to lift her other hand, and then her knees one by one. She complied faster after seeing the results of the first.

Aiya numbly sat, holding one of Turns' hands tightly in her own, her other arm wrapped around her legs as Lex worked on him more. The sounds of a fierce firefight raged beyond the door and shook the wall at her back. Cody shifted but stayed where he was, eyes on the door and blaster raised. It was suicide to try and step out of that door right now, but he sure as Force wasn't going to let any not-friendlies enter.

At last Lex seemed satisfied with his work, and he moved to sit beside her, eyes on the door as well and blaster across his knees. He reached over and took her free hand in his and gave it a squeeze.

"It's going to be ok soon, Aiya. The Commander'll break through their lines and be here in a minute tops." She nodded and gave him a small smile although she gripped his hand back fiercely.

Cody watched them out of the corner of his eye, curious.

A few minutes passed that seemed like eternity, and he shifted in frustration. He wanted to leap into the fray outside, to kick open the door and walk out guns blazing and light them all up. The only thing that kept him from doing so was the knowledge that it was suicide before the roof was under the GAR's hand once more. The private at his feet was proof of that.

He had no choice but to stand there and wait. He felt the gnawing desire to go and check on Obi-wan, but was afraid to leave the doorway on the chance the enemy did try to enter. On the chance his brothers outside lost.

Why was it taking so long?

Across the landing Aiya caught his eye and gave him a small teary-eyed smile. He gave her a light dip of his head and returned his attention to the door. He could feel the eyes of the other trooper on him. Perhaps he wanted to ask what he and the general were doing there. Or perhaps he had figured it out and was as curious as Cody was about his relationship with Aiya.

Cody sincerely hoped they weren't an item.

As simple and honest (and absolutely wonderful) as the massage had been, he'd feel a little awkward if he'd been massaged by another trooper's girl.

There was a sudden explosion that rocked the building and repeating blaster fire laced with screams.

Lex released Aiya's hand and he rose to stand beside Cody, blaster ready and standing between his fallen comrade and Aiya and whatever might approach from beyond the door. Cody let out a breath, nice and slow. He could hear the approach of footsteps from outside, see the slink of shadow beneath the door where it was bent a it at the bottom.

And then there was the slip-hush sound of Lex reholstering his weapon and he stepped back and to the side. Cody eyed him warily, but the sergeant did so as he bobbed his head and the commander realized he must've been given the all clear signal from someone outside.

Cody lowered his weapon but remained between the door and Aiya.

It hissed open.

And Commander Fox stepped in.

Then everything was a flurry of movement. Aiya practically flew into the other commander and flung her arms around him as more members of the Coruscant guard spilled through the frame around him and knelt beside Turns, hoisting him onto a hover-stretcher. They looked a little worse for the wear, they had definitely been the ones holding back the Separatists from entering the building, but they practically swarmed their fallen comrade and the woman with her thin and shaking arms around their commander.

She turned to greet each of them and they all bent to give her an exuberant hug.

She laughed and her eyes streamed with relief at seeing them and she watched as they loaded their comrade on the larty. Fox turned to Cody and held out an arm in greeting.

"It's been a while."

Cody returned the gesture, his mind doing flips.

"Too long, brother."

More members of the Coruscant guard poured past them to assist the others below, and Cody turned to follow. But something made him hesitate and he half turned to watch the other commander and his men out of the corner of his visor.

The troopers who had greeted Aiya before beckoned to her, and Cody saw Fox grip the woman tightly to him for a long moment, before placing an arm around her much smaller frame and walking her to the ship.

Cody suddenly felt very, very awkward.

...

I hope you guys liked it! This part just didn't flow. At all. It was like I could see it all panning out in my mind but just couldn't put it to words. Oog.

And poor Turns...He ended up getting hurt so badly in this one :( But the silver lining is he brings in Kix and the 501st boys next chapter, though.

TGP, Cozzizzie, CaptainReb, Ct-782: You guys are awesome. You really are. :) Thank you for your reviews!

*Ah, I forgot- CaptainReb: I did a brief bar-fight, but no scar for Cody. I was thinking, TOC takes place after Cody already has his scar, but I can try to do a Kamino tale where he gets it, if that's ok.


	19. Kix

Kix

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Kix was in the mess with Jesse and Hardcase when they came in, and he had eyes on them as they got their food and sat at a nearby table. The brother in him initiating the observation with natural curiosity but the medic in him maintaining it, and giving them all a good once-over at the sight of their roughness.

There had been a vague flurry of commotion over the comms earlier, reports of containment needed at a local pub, and then a much larger hub of chatter about a fire-fight across from the main security complex. Not something big enough to mobilize any of the mobile squadrons temporarily assigned there, but a huge buzz for Coruscant apparently.

The faint intrigue was overriden by his medic's instincts and before he knew it he was standing beside their table, tray in hand, and they had all fallen to silence and sat gazing up at him in question.

"Something wrong...sir?" The closest one asked, amending his inquiry at the sight of the medic's insignia on Kix's pauldron and the stripes denoting his rank.

Kix blinked for a few seconds before finding his voice. He gave a soft snort and made a point of waving away the formality between them and giving them a look, the unspoken one medics gave when they wanted to speak on equal terms. He got nods of recognition and appreciation back.

"You all look a lttle rough, is all. Medic compulsion - just checking." He gave an amiable shrug. "Sorry if I'm intruding..."he passed his eyes over them again. The closer view confirmed they were definitely fresh off some skirmish, but had received the minimum of patching up, and posessed nothing too serious wound-wise.

The nearest one shook his head and gave him a smile. He scooted to the left and patted the bench between him and the guard beside him. "No intrusion, vod. Join us."

Kix sat and was offered a hand. "Hatch." The trooper thumbed at the man on the other side, and then to the one across from them. "Trust, and Ravi."

The 501st medic returned their nods and offered his own name in exchange, picking up his caf to settle in. He heard a familiar duo of footfalls and the clatter of trays against forearm plates as they were balanced to hold out hands in greeting, and he turned to see Jesse and Hardcase had followed. Hardcase gave a wave topped with a grin and Jesse dipped a hand for Hatch to take.

"Hardcase, and that's Jesse."

Kix wasn't surprised-gossip was the currency of the GAR and Hardcase and Jesse were both notorious story-collectors in their own right, preferring the especially bawdy and odd. Neither had many Coruscant tales that he knew of. Any minute, they'd take care of that.

"You guys a part of that fight?" Hardcase cocked an eyebrow.

Kix snorted. There it was...

"Part? We were that fight."The trooper across from Kix flashed a rakish grin and gave the table a light smack with his hands on either side. Jesse and Hardcase took up the offer with grins as wide as their trays and sat.

"So, what happened?" Jesse asked. His eyes dotted over them all with obvious interest as they resumed eating. The Coruscant trio were doing so with the common fervor of brothers at any meal, although also with a certain amount of distinguishable haste. They were eager to get, or return somewhere.

Hatch set down his cup of caf and rested his elbows on the table, taking up the task of tale-sharing, beginning to speak to them as much with hands as voice.

"Well...Someone had a little too much fun at a bar a few blocks from the main complex. We were doing some cleanup on that when we get a distress call from Aiya-"

"A friend of ours," Trust explained over a bite and Hatch nodded to him and took a quick bite of his own. He chewed quickly and swallowed before continuing.

"Yeah, so the code comes through and we panic, because we're blocks away and the road's cordoned off...We end up hijacking the larty that was waiting out front to transport the slew of baddies to the security complex. Commander's going spare because Aiya's not answering her comm, so he patches through to Sarge, who was on roving patrol-"

"Sarge was on patrol? I didn't know that." Ravi interjected, with a thoughtful expression. "Did he abandon his post?"

Trust scooped some more food on his fork and lifted it to his mouth. "It's Aiya. Of course he did." He said matter of factly. Ravi snorted and Hatch laughed. Kix and Jesse and Hardcase glanced between them, missing something but unsure what.

Hatch shook his head and continued. "Sarge and Turns were both close when they got the code so they had reached her by then and she's safe. And I think the Commander is finally breathing again..." Trust chuckled at that. " But there's a full out firefight going on between some guys and Commander Cody and General Kenobi-"

"What?" Jesse looked shocked.

Hatch gave him a vigorous nod. "I know! Who knows how that happened, but the Commander tells them to get Aiya to the roof, that we'll pick her up there because we're on our way. But there's Seps on the roof we didn't know about." He paused to take a sip of caf and Kix chuckled to himself at Jesse and Hardcase's expressions. They both had their faces close and hands on the table, leaning on every word.

"And when we get there, neither of us is expecting the other, so we kind of just stare at each other for a few seconds. Then all hell breaks loose. Commander's trying to contact Turns because we can't see them, and he says they're in the stairwell and Aiya's ok but he sounds bad." Hatch paused to frown and rub his hands together "Really bad. And we know he's down and if they get in the stairwell...So we're hitting them hard, trying to keep their attention on us. They land a strike on the larty and it goes down, practically right on top of their own ship, the dikuts. And then we're all scrambling from the wreckage, just trying to get them before they get us. Eventually backup arrives although the fight's almost over by then. Afterwards, we get Turns and Aiya and come straight here to the med bay."

"And now we're here, with threats to our hides from the Sarge to eat something and bring back caf."

"Your friend?" Kix asked.

"In a bacta tank. Pretty rough, but gonna make it. Surge is top notch, and Turns is stubborn. He took some high powered rounds, though. Punctured lung and a shot to the guts, and two to the leg. But, he made it."

Kix nodded solemnly. "I'm on shift after this, I'll keep an eye on him." The three troopers all gave him a look of sincere gratitude.

"We're headed back after this. Bringing Surge and the Sarge and Aiya some caf."

"She's here still? Your friend?" Kix was pretty sure there was a slew of regs against that.

"Yep. Wouldn't leave. The Commander ok'd it befre he left. He had to get back out there, though. Wasn't too happy about that."

"Looks like you'll have a full med-bay tonight, Doc. Hope you don't mind!" Ravi winked at Kix and he was slightly taken aback, but shook his head.

"Not the crowd I'm used to, but I'll manage," the medic admitted, though with good humor.

They all finished eating in relative silence after that, letting it soak in perhaps, although a small query passed between them here and there between bites. They lingered briefly over empty trays, a wordless parting which was common in circumstances like this. Quick but meaningful nods and looks and clasps of forearm plates. Companionable curling of the lips. Well met and parted. Back to business of the run of it.

The sound of the door to the mess hissing open came from across the room as they were rising and they all wordlessly turned to see who it was in unison.

Kix blinked with surprised recognition. In the doorway stood Commander Fox, and he made his way towards them when he caught sight of them, a small child in his arms and a woman beside him who was brushing the long dark waves out of her face as they approached, a large bag on her shoulder.

They all greeted the Commander with a salute, although Kix knew Jesse and Hardcase' attention was likely more on the civilians with Fox, as his definitely was. Fox gave them a curt nod before eyeing his men tiredly.

"I wanted to get them past security, but I've got to head back, Tarkin's already raving. Can you...?"

"No problem, Commander." Hatch reached his arms out for the little girl wrapped in blankets in his Commander's arms, and Fox handed her over. There was a reluctance in the gesture which spoke clearly of disappointment and obligation. Kix watched as the small arms laced the trooper's neck in practiced ease with mounting curiosity and surprise. He stared back at the bright and curious eyes that inspected him and the two other new troopers in turn. Trust stepped forward to give the woman a quick hug, then took the bag from her shoulders. Behind them Ravi had gathered the empty trays and made to turn them in. On the way he stopped to wrap the woman in a quick hug from behind with his free arm, then gestured to the serving counter.

"Wanna help me carry coffee, Loreen?"

So that was her name. Kix made a mental note of it.

She smiled and nodded, turning to give Fox a few soft pats on the chest plate and a smile before she followed. The commander gave her a small one in return, then ran a hand over the little girl's head, who gave a small wave, and then he dipped his head at them all before turning and leaving the mess swiftly.

Kix watched him go, resisting the urge to call him back him to sit for a quick check-up. His armor was dinged enough for the medic to know there was bruising beneath, at the very least, but he could sense the futility of it. Like the rest, while the injuries appeared painful, none was life-threatening. He decided not to press the issue. Maybe once they returned to the medbay, he'd order it, but not now.

He waited for Ravi and the woman to return, attention torn between their backs and the little girl in the arms of the trooper beside him.

Kix was blown away by Hatch and Trust's apparent indifference to the absolute novelty of the situation. Jesse and Hardcase were wide-eyed, shifting feet to the side. They'd never been in proximity with a child who wasn't a younger version of themselves, and found her as amazing as anything they'd ever laid eyes on. They were also clearly memorizing everything about her, likely to answer questions that tagged behind stories, later.

They all watched as she wiggled in Hatch's arms to get a better view of them, which caused the blanket around her to come free and fall to the floor. Trust bent to retrieve it and he did so, picking it up and tucking it back around her, in one swift move.

But she had eyes on Hardcase and Jesse and hardly noticed. After a long moment of open stares she reached two arms out to Hardcase, small fingers cloying the air between them.

Hardcase jolted back slightly at the gesture, before blinking for a moment and raising eyebrows, and arms, with more than a touch of uncertainty. Jesse gazed on with a slight look of horror. Hatch swiveled to see what Fayna was reaching for and handed her over to the new brother with a grin. Jesse was making a neck-swiping motion with hand, mouthing the words "bad idea" at him. Hatch laughed.

Hardcase took the small girl carefully and stared at her for a few moments before he began giving her a slight bounce with his arms, perhaps something he'd seen someone do in a holovid at some point. She gave him a grin and placed her finger to his chin.

"You have raindrops on your face."

She tapped the marks there and spoke earnestly, and as though he was unaware of his tattoos. Hardcase blinded in surprise then chuckled.

"Raindrops? I guess I do." He bounced her again. "You like 'em, kid?"

She pursed her lips and gave him a devoted nod before turning to Jesse. She pointed to his head. "And you've a sun."

Jesse's eyebrows rose. He lifted his eyes as though trying to see the tattoo across his head himself before looking back at her. "Is that what it is?"

Kix watched as the little girl then made the pass to Jesse's arms, and began to trace the marks on his face in a manner not unlike a fairy bestowing a magic charm. For their part, Hardcase and Jesse appeared very charmed, the reverence she seemed to hold for them an enchantment of itself for ones made and told to be possessed of so little value.

They were both reluctant to give her back when Ravi and Loreen returned. Loreen handed the caf she held to Hatch and held out her hands to the girl, who joyfully switched arms. "Come on, Fay." Hardcase and Jesse watched, smitten.

They gave Kix mock pouts as he waved them off to the barracks.

...

Back in the med-bay a woman sat beside a Coruscant medic on one of the beds in the main room, looking pale and tired, but she brightened at the sight of them and stood to take the little girl into her arms tightly.

Loreen gave her a long hug, arms around them both, then moved to do the same to the trooper at her side. She gestured to the bag that Trust eased down on the bed beside them.

"I brought some overnight stuff and sandwiches and things. Wasn't sure how long we could stay." She looked between them both.

"How is he?"

"He'll be ok. Sarge is with him now." Surge answered with a nod of his head to the room off the main one. He looked exhausted, but happy. Hatch stepped up to press the cup of caf in his hands and the medic gave him a nod of thanks, bringing the cup to his lips. He caught sight of Kix flipping through the holopad he'd placed on the counter and gave him a nod of recognition. Kix gave him a small smile of comraderie in return, noting that the medic on the bed wasn't on shift by the records. He assumed he was a member of the squad, and had likely taken up the operation on his friend along with the already assigned medic.

It wasn't regulation, but it didn't bother Kix. He'd have done the same.

"Can we go to him?" Loreen asked. Surge nodded, his eyes drifting to Fayna. "It might be...a little frightening for..." He broke off to look to Aiya for reassurance one way or another. She nodded mutely, looking down to the little girl in her arms. She kissed her head and pressed the curls back from the small forehead, then lowered her softly to the bed. "I'll be right back ok?"

Fayna nodded and sat, legs crossed and blanket on her lap, fingers weaving it against her palms. Ravi handed Aiya the cups of caf and she and Surge and Loreen stepped into the other room.

Kix decided to give them some privacy with their friend for the time being and ran through the usual stock checks before sitting down at the desk in the corner to catch up on some of his own paperwork. It seemed like he always had an endless supply of it, and not much time while out in the field to do it. The temporary break on Coruscant was helping him to catch up on much. He began the process of it, although his mind definitely wasn't on it.

Fayna gave a small shriek and Kix's head snapped up in time to see Ravi hoisting her piggy back and bouncing a little, which made her giggle. After a few minutes of that their attention was drawn to Hatch, who was inspecting the contents of the bag Loreen had brought. Ravi gave a sly look and stepped closer to lean over his head. With prompting from Trust, who was making air gestures of hitting the unsuspecting trooper, Fayna gave Hatch a quick smack to the back of the head. He looked up in surprise.

"Hey!"

"Serves you right, digging in ladies' bags..." Ravi tutted.

"What? I was looking for Fay's lovie!"

"More like the sandwiches Loreen mentioned," Trust scoffed.

Kix chuckled to himself, shaking his head. Brothers really were the same, no matter where they were stationed. The thought made him smile and he paused his work to watch the bickering trio. Now they were all bent over the bag, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible as Fayna began rifling through and tossing the contents all over the bed.

The door to the back room opened and an unfamiliar trooper stepped out, the clack of his boots pausing as his attention fell on them. He looked at them for a moment before shaking his head and walked over to pick up the little girl, who was half buried beneath the things she had pulled out. He balanced her on an arm, a cup of caf in the other, looking nonplussed at the others. "You lot-"

"Sarge!" Fayna exclaimed from his arms, a burst of high-pitched recognition and a jarring embrace that almost made the sergeant drop the caf. He blinked at her in surprise, whatever he had been planning to say forgotten in the interruption. A look of humor and endearment passed his face after the initial surprise wore off and he smiled at her.

"By force, that's the cutest thing ever," Hatch admitted, rubbing a hand over his eyes as he sloppily stuffed the bag's contents back in with the other. Trust gave his arm a smack and took the contents out to refold and pack away again neatly. Lex gestured to the bag.

"What's all this anyway?"

"Overnight bag, I think."

"What? They're staying here?" Lex looked back to Fayna in surprise.

"I think so. Or maybe at the barracks?" Hatch looked at Fayna. "What do you think little bit? Wanna sleep with us?"

Kix watched on, intrigued. He tried to picture bringing a kid to spend the night with the 501st. It'd be absolute chaos, and no one would get any sleep, the medic was sure of it. He knew Ahsoka would find her adorable, without a doubt. The General would probably raise an eyebrow or two, but have a shrug of it. Rex...Rex would have a nuna on the spot.

Fayna eyed Hatch seriously, speculating. "Do you have pillows?" She asked, sincerely.

"We do indeed. And bunk beds!" He winked at her. They'd all heard the story of the brightly painted bunk bed that had caught her eye in the furniture shop from Aiaya. Fayna clapped her hands. 'Ok!"

"Now we just have to decide who sleeps with who," Ravi tapped his chin. "Loreen is with Surge of course..." Kix blinked at that information. "And since the Commander's busy, Fay's with us." He passed a hand over himself and Trust and Hatch.

"Which means..." he cast a narrowed side glance at Lex who was taking a sip from his caf. "Aiya sleeps with Sarge!"

Lex sputtered and choked on the caf he just drank, aggravating his predicament by keeping his mouth closed to prevent spitting it out over Fayna. He coughed for a few minutes, fixing Ravi with a glare when it finally eased, cheeks ablaze. Ravi, Trust and Hatch were all shaking with mirth. Fayna was looking between them all, the implications of the exchange lost, but she deciphered enough to assume the trooper leaning on the bed was behaving inappropriately. She gave him a hard stare of her own, pursed lips and furrowed brow, shaking a stern finger.

"You wanna scrub 'Freshers for a month, private?!"

Kix laughed out loud, and he made it a point to memorize the scene and brothers before him. The sergeant had a look somewhere between mortification and pride, and the others were now doubled up with laughter. It wasn't the medic's intent to eavesdrop on the goings-on of the brothers across the room, but he knew he'd never forget that one, and neither would the 501st.

...

Thank you for the reviews and favorites and follows guys! I really do appreciate it. :) Makes me want to keep tackling this even when I can't seem to write. Sorry about the long wait. I'm hoping to be more regular in the future, we just had a lot came up this week and I struggled with this one. I have a hard time writing canon characters for some reason.

I'm trying to come up with a schedule for chapters so I stick to it. It looks like TOC will probably be updated Tuesdays or Wednesdays, and TOK on Fridays. And one-shots here and there. Most of those are already written, I just have to type them up.

Next is Ahsoka! Another slow, fluff chapter of sorts like this one... but I need her to meet my guys because it sets the framework for the stories involving canon events coming up soon.

MS CT-782: I forgot to ask, have you heard the Loreena McKennit version of the Highway Man? It's lovely, and that did pop in my mind as I was writing that scene too, that's so cool :)


	20. Ahsoka

Ahsoka

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"You sure you're up for this?" Anakin gave Obi-Wan a sly look out of the corner of his eyes, but his voice was mischief and affection.

The older jedi's eyes crinkled in response.

"Oh yes. I've been lazing about long enough to be fully capable of indulging myself with small talk and sweets..."

Ahsoka gave a soft snort and smile at the confession of laziness. The older jedi had taken only the minimum amount of time force healing before racing off with them on this self-imposed mission of sorts. After the attack at the clinic Obi-wan had been transported directly to the jedi-temple to be treated by the healers there, much to his chagrin of the whole scenario.

And, by proximity, so had Cody, who now walked a few paces behind them, astride with Rex. As usual they stayed quiet, enjoying the titters between their commanding officers before them.

"Sweets?" Ahsoka prompted from between the two masters. Her attempt at indifference was betrayed by hoisted eye markings and a hopeful gleam to her eyes. Although specialty foods were an extravagance more frequently enjoyed by jedi than their men, they were still an infrequent partaking while out in the field. The promise of such things tempered her apprehension of what was to come somewhat. The last social call she'd been a part of, while memorable, hadn't been the most enjoyable.

"Apparently tops, if Thorn's word is anything to go by, and that has been my experience." Anakin gave her a grin before extending an arm out before him, palm up. "A magical shop with good food and beautiful women. I confess, I'm curious to see for myself."

Ahsoka rolled her eyes but smiled and Anakin turned to regard Obi-wan directly. "And you somehow stumble into it all on your own. Either you've been keeping tabs on my conversations or our fates are somehow mystically aligned..."

"I shudder at either thought." Obi-wan ran a hand over his beard and peered over his shoulder at Cody briefly, who tilted his helmeted head in amusement. "Nothing more than circumstance, I assure you."

"Your circumstances sure become interesting quickly."

"As do yours, generally. How was dinner with the Senator?"

"To be honest, I don't remember much. From what I hear, I embarrassed myself by passing out very early." Anakin blinked at both Ahsoka and Rex, as though he didn't quite buy that story, but had no means of disputing it. "Must've been more tired than I thought. All I remember is eating, then waking up at P...the Senator's apartment the next morning."

"Ah." If the Captain's force signature behind them was anything to go by, there was a bit more to it than that, but Obi-wan decided it was one of those 'better left unspoken' things. It wasn't a sense of danger he was picking up. And Both Anakin and Ahsoka felt equally befuddled.

They walked through the halls of the temple quietly after that for a while, each lost in their own musings, thoughts tangled in the past and things to come.

Not too far from the entrance Anakin slowed slightly, casting Rex an ornery glance over a shoulder.

"Something happened Rex. What is it?"

Rex's stride slipped a little, but he kept pace. "Sir? If you're asking about that night-"

"No." Anakin waved the thought away. "Something's happened recently. Since you returned from the barracks this morning. You seem...different."

The others all cast glances the captain's way, curious.

Ahsoka tilted her head. "I felt it too. Something good, right? You seem...happy."

"Happy? Rex?" Cody narrowed his eyes at his companion and Anakin snorted while Obi-wan and Ahsoka had a grin of it.

Rex shifted, undoubtedly made uncomfortable by the scrutiny, but he gave a slow nod.

"I suppose...It was one of my men, sir. Well, he used to be one of ours." He paused for a moment before continuing. "He was transferred to the Coruscant Guard a good while back. After Teth."

A dark look passed over Anakin's face for a moment and sympathy colored the others. But the darkness faded from the young jedi master after a few moments, and was replaced by a mixture of curiosity and hope.

"He's here? That trooper? You spoke with him, then. How is he?"

"He's...good." A wry smile passed across the captain's face, and although the jedi couldn't see it they felt it. Rex pressed on, embarrassed perhaps, force signature tinging with uncertainty. "When he transferred, he was a broken man. He lost many of his original batch on Christophsis and was injured there himself. Had to stay behind when we left. After Teth, he'd lost everyone he'd trained with. He just..." Rex cut off, as though he was confessing a fault-kept secret.

"It's understandable," Obi-wan offered. "Such loss..." Whether he spoke of the trooper Rex decribed or the situation was unclear, but it was obvious he was sincere. Cody gave his friend a pat on the shoulder. Rex continued, verbal bravery spurred by the open acceptance.

"Well, he took part in your firefight, General. Kix informed me and I went to see him. Aside from his injruies, he's doing...well. Very well. "

He gave Anakin a pointed look. "And somehow, I think it has to do with your magic shop, sir."

"This gets more interesting by the minute." Anakin admitted, eyebrows raised. He gave Rex a nod and a smile that touched his eyes before turning his focus once more ahead and added with sincerity "I'm glad he's doing ok."

"Did I know him?" Ahsoka asked, falling back a little to ask Rex privately.

"Only briefly, Commander. But he remembers you." He looked at her, long but kindly. "He asked after you, actually."

"Oh? What'd you say?"

Rex pulled a blank face and Cody snorted. She gave him a smack on the arm.

"Hey!" But she laughed. And her eyes were the bright blue fire which was so purely and wonderfully and endearingly her. Rex watched her secretly from behind the visor, his gaze taking in the young woman beside him, picturing her once again as the sassy, bright-eyed and gangly youngling she'd been back then, for a moment.

She had changed. As much as he didn't want to admit it, it also made him proud-he really couldn't consider her anything other than a young woman now, although he'd have a hard time giving up calling her 'kid'. She was no longer a child, thin arms and imperious looks, brash words and impulse. She was still all of those things at times, yes, but it had been tempered by wisdom and experience. The war had taken it's toll on her innocence, but had given her a practiced grace and a ferocious battle-soul beauty in return.

Back in the med-bay he had struggled to put words to what she had become, although he had mentioned her strength and wisodm. Her courage and tenacity. How she was at once both soft and fierce.

She had grown. Not just aged, as he and his brothers now did, but matured. In a beautiful and feminine way that made him feel both awed and protective.

Sister. Friend. Commander, by actions and heart, no longer just by title.

Ahsoka.

He gave her a smile she didn't see, but the grin she gave him let him know she felt it.

...

.

.

Ahsoka sat a short while later, tucking into her second pastry, cup of caf steaming frothed cream atop a painted cup, humorous gaze on the group across the room. The little girl she had been introduced to earlier was making rounds of the laps of the men sitting at the counter, each taking a turn catching her attention with a bounce or game or joke, swapping gossip over the flyaway curls. They were all a play in delight, and Ahsoka smiled to feel their laughter and light in the force.

At the table beside her Obi-wan and Anakin were discussing something with Aiya and Loreen, the two who had turned out to be very much the fairy-women of their reputation, hugs and smiles and sweet smells and forbidden unchecked kindness. Ahsoka envied them that, it seemed there lay no restriction on the attachment they bestowed upon everyone, a glow of the force that lingered after their footsteps, that hovered on their fingertips and was caught by the strands of their hair and tinted their eyes. After an apology from the older jedi and Cody, which had been waved away with a smile, they had been discussing things drizzled with laughter for the last hour.

Beside her Rex had eyes drifting between the other table and his men, a tinge of moderated amusement and satisfaction curling his lips. An outsider playing the sidelines as he usually was, maintaining the role of captain although it the force spoke true, he was possessed of a small desire to join in. He chose to bypass that calling so often and Ahsoka mused on it. Many times she'd wondered what an unrestrained Rex would be like. He was a man bound deeply to his sense of duty, which she understood, although she wished for a loosening within him now and then. A hint of the care-free attitude his men had, which brought that shine to his eyes. He was one so often charged with the care and keeping of others, she wondered why he so easily forgot to include himself.

Earlier there had been a brief splintering of the wall he so dutifully tended. A mistaken grab of his kama by Fayna, expecting someone familiar. Fox, she had cried with the untamed decibals and delight of a child. And then, upon realizing the mix-up, the small girl had stepped back to peer up at Rex for a short while, a cute statue of surprise and wonder. When she had raised arms out to him at last, he had taken a step back in surprise and blinked at her, frozen himself in response.

Jesse had interjected at that point, scooping her up with a shake of his head and a soft "Captain, oh captain. She doesn't bite." With a grin. And Fayna had pointed at him proudly, curls bouncing and beaming from Jesse's arms.

"Captain oh Captain. Hold me, please."

And he had, then. Amid laughter and with deeply tinted cheeks, but also an honest, and decidedly bemused grin.

Ahsoka chuckled into her cup as she took another sip of the dark, sweet drink. She had the urge to wrap her arms around Rex and goad him to join the others. Encourage him to be goofy and to take part in that which seemed to bring him light. Order it, or influence it perhaps. But he was a friend, close as her own heart, and she respected him too much to attempt to alter him from who he was. Still there were days she just...wished.

Cody seemed to have a small affect on him in that direction, and she gave the Commander a smile of gratitude across the table. Whether he recognized the emotion behind it or not wasn't clear, but he returned the gesture. He gave Rex a companionable swat to the pauldron, eyes back on the troopers across the room.

As though they sensed they were being watched, a few of them turned and gestured for Ahsoka to join them. The padawan placed a finger to her chest, raised eye markings. She received a few nods in return and rose with a curious air.

Rex watched her pad over and as one of the coruscant guards hopped down from his stool to offer it to her. No sooner had she sat than she was leaning over the counter, engaging in an inspection of the contents of Kix's med-kit with the medic himself and the child on his lap. The troopers who weren't Rex's rose together and made their way to the table across the room with nods to Rex and Cody, who returned them.

Hatch took his seat, although his eyes were on the commander's back at the counter.

"She's really grown."

"Who? Fay?" Surge asked, biting into the pastry he'd brought with him.

"No, the Commander."

"How could you possibly know that?" Trust followed his gaze.

"I've seen her a few times over the years. She was just a kid the first time, but now...she's really grown up hasn't she?"

The others turned to look at him and Trust shot him a side-glance through narrowed eyes. "She's still a kid. Don't make me hurt you."

Hatch threw up his hands. "Whoah. Wasn't going there, vod." He shook his head at them all, a picture of innocence. "I was just noticing."

"Well, don't."

"She's not that young...technically she's older than us," Ravi wheedled, chin in hand.

Trust gave him a dark look and Surge shook his head. After another wide grin Hatch conceded.

"Joking aside, she's lovely. And good with Fay. It's cute."

"Hardcase is good with Fay, too. You should tell him he's cute."

"If you insist." Hatch plucked his helmet from his hip and patched a comm with the new brother. At the bar Hardcase looked down at the crackle from his helmet and lifted it to listen.

"Ravi thinks you're cute, Hardcase. He asked me to tell you."

The heavy gunner lifted an eyebrow from across the room, and Ravi snoeted but gave him a wink and a salute. Hardcase shook his head, chuckling.

"Afraid you'll have to get in line, bud. I'm already got a dress-up date with the little lady next time we're planet side." Fayna looked up at him as he spoke and gave him a grin, then turned to look at Hatch across the room. He gave her a pout, which she gave back with the dramatic flair of a four year old.

Ahsoka laughed, having heard the whole exchange. She gave the girl's head a ruffle and rose to step over to the table where the four red-marked troopers sat.

"Mind if I join you?"

"Definitely not, Commander." Surge answered. He pulled out the chair beside him and she sat.

Ahsoka took a moment to feel them all quickly and gently through the force. It was something she had always done as a child, whether it originated as a safety precaution or just from a pronounced and ingrained need-to-know trait, it had become a habit over the years. A way for her to feel like she had some small form of control in situations she felt unsure of. A safety mechanism of sorts. A comfort of honesty in a galaxy which so often wasn't as it seemed.

But the troopers beside her turned out to be exactly as they presented themselves, as most of their brothers so often were. As with any individual, they had the inner clouding of passions and fears, hopes, humor and sadness, desires, dreams.

The one called Trust had a faint yet deep darkness within, an echo of past trauma or something of the kind. Not something too uncommon for anyone, let alone a being born and bred for war. But there was a healing that she felt there also, something which had overriden that discord like a blanket softening the cool of a dark night. Instinctually she delved slightly deeper, expecting the common subconcious pushing away of his mind which would present her with a stopping point to her pressing. It was normally triggered before anyone she probed would take notice of her force-inquiry.

But there was no rebuke, although Trust lifted an eyebrow at her. It was clear he'd felt what she was doing, but seemed open to her doing it as she liked. That was so foreign to her, she broke off with a blink, but gave him a smile of affection and gratitude before moving on to the others. Ravi and Surge had similar tangled strings of darkness tucked within, albeit much fainter. Their blankets providing more coverage to darkness, for some reason. They had found something fuller than Trust had over time. She wondered what it was. Hatch seemed non-possessed of inner turmoil at all, which she found quite strange. But he also had small, light-hearted crush on her, which made her smile. The other's regard for her was something of a wisp of what she sensed they all felt deeply for Fayna.

Overall, they were warmth and fun and kind and safe. The same feeling she got from her own men. She gave them all a grin.

"Alright boys, don't go easy on me because I'm a girl." She gave them all a playful wink. "I want the down and dirty about Coruscant. My men like to pass tales, and I not only like to be in the know, I like to have the best."

...

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*Sorry for the all the update pings per chapter if you guys use the fanfiction app. I'm so embarrassed. I post a chapter and notice mistakes, then update and notice more. For some reason I don't catch them when I read through the first time. I kind of go blind to them from overviewing. But I want to give you guys the best revised version I can before I forget. Thank you for your patience with that.

Thank you for the reviews, guys! Cozzizzie, TGP, CaptainReb, OwlFur...I'm glad you enjoyed the last one, and I hope you liked this one. Byakugansharinganweaponhottie: I was rereading reviews, and I realized I hadn't thanked you personally for yours yet. I don't know why I forgot, I think my brain takes vacation some times. Thank you :)

I felt like a few small Rex and Ahsoka moments. I have a half-written one-shot about them after order 66, which I'm fiddling with. Not sure which direction its going to go yet. Trying to work up to future things. Ahsoka's fall from grace is coming soon.

Next chapter will be Rex. This chapter takes place right before they head out to Umbara, so it will take place when he gets back. Ive gone easy on Fox lately, but he's going to be prominent in upcoming tales.


	21. Rex II

Rex II

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That evening it was dark and damp, the buildings blurring with the thick smog and the sky sipping the heat of the day from the cooling permacrete in long, thin steaming trails. Rex found himself second guessing and double checking things as he walked. Ordinary things that were taking on sinister appearances beneath his gaze. The neons were at once simply signs illuminating street shops, then jarringly the glowing vegetation trawling shadowed banks and ridges. The hum of speeders became the whirring of mechanical legs, sharp and pointed and flashing in the night. The catch of headlights the Saber of a general gone bad.

Lost brothers with molten holes and slashes. The chatter of citizens became the calls to fate from comrades echoed and scattered on his helmet channel. Tinny and chilling, pain and horror. Rex shook his head against the dark thoughts, holding back the recurring shudders that threatened to loose from within again.

He'd had no destination at the time of his departure, just the whispers of a need to get away so strong he'd been walking before he realized it.

It was irrational, he knew. The thoughts which combed his mind. The chills in his chest that the sight and sound of something so familiar and previously beloved now brought. The soft clink of a handle against a belt, the hum of a blade bright and brilliant coming to life. Normally, no, always before, an experience of reverence that made his breath hitch with pride.

At the moment, everything about them made him shudder. He wrapped his arms around himself and kept walking. One foot ahead of the other. Focusing on the ground passing beneath his feet. It was a distraction tactic he used sometimes in the throes of bad thoughts. It didn't help much right then. He knew it was wrong. He was being irrational. Senseless. Silly.

But he still couldn't shake it. He had to get away from it and quiet his head.

His feet slowed then stopped and he looked up. Surprised, he found himself in front of a familiar door. Red painted and lacquered, slick-shine in the night. A beacon of distraction, remembrence and familiarity. His feet had had a purpose even if his mind hadn't it seemed. He paused there looking at the door for long moments wondering what had drawn him there. Wondering if he should go in or go on. He wanted to keep moving. Needed to, but his feet wouldn't budge. With a long sigh he pressed the door open with a uncertain fingers and slipped inside.

The shop was dim, the overhead lighting faint and quiet in contrast to the flashing neons of the outside night. Warm and earthy sweet smells were thick in the air, greeting and wrapping and distracting. The floor shone a polished shine beneath his boots which made sharp clacks across them.

Although still open for a short while, the shop was empty save for a single small and familiar form sprawled in the center of the floor. She lay on her belly, painting marbled colors on the tiles, her dress and the tips of her hair slipping through and becoming stained with it as she looked up.

She recognized him at once and grinned, making the paint smudged across her cheeks spread.

"Captain oh Captain! "

And then the little bare feet were rushed patters on the floor, arms around his legs before he could respond beyond a faint flash of surprise and a small grin. He removed his helmet and clipped it to his belt to pick her up, for a moment lost in her, and he allowed himself to be. The memory of their first meeting returning to his thoughts. That awkward and curt but sweet moment. That day. It had been a good one. Back when everything had made sense. His men were safe and laughing and had smiles in their eyes and passing back and forth in their arms and on their knees.

After a dazzling but brief smile Fayna's face had changed. At first slipping to a puzzled, measuring expression, then becoming eerily stoic for one so young. She had studied him for a long moment, eyes dancing between his, searching. He wondered at what she had found there because she finally settled to rest against him, small head to his neck, one hand delivering a repeating soft pat to his chest and the other playing light fingers across the edge of his pauldron. Rhythmic and soothing and quiet. He could feel the heat of her head against his neck, the heartbeat there although he wasn't sure whose it was. She stayed like that for a long while as though possessed of an innate child-sense he couldn't fathom. He'd heard of children having an ability of sorts like that somewhere. He wondered if they were all that way. Had he been that way? He couldn't remember.

But, just then, he was glad of it. The faint warm weight in his arms burning heavy and meaningful and treasure. It felt like he was holding a bright thread of everything that was right in the galaxy. Everything that meant something. It was what he fought for. What they all fought and died for.

For a moment it made things easier to cope with.

There was a laugh from the back room and footsteps.

"Fay, how's-" Aiya paused in the doorway a moment, then her eyes softened and she smiled.

"Rex! Welcome back. "

Welcome back. He replayed it in his head a few times. Squirreling it away for another time. He gave her a small smile back. She had no idea how grounding it all was, the child in his arms and those words and her voice. The faintest weight and simple words, yet at that moment they felt profound. They all implied a place he had been and returned to on good terms. A welcoming place. A constant, an anchor to hold onto in the tide which seemed intent on ripping him away.

Fox emerged from the doorway then, hearing the exchange. He caught sight of Rex and Fayna and chuckled just as Rex was lowering Fayna to the ground and she scampered off to the kitchen. Paints forgotten and smears on his armor, the print of her cheek on his chestplate.

"Are you hungry? We're just closing up. Still some soup left from the dinner rush. " Aiya offered with a foot already in the doorway to the kitchen.

"I..." The smells were too much for him and his traitorous belly gave a growl at the offer.

Aiya dipped into the back room with a wink and Rex turned his attention to Fox.

The commander stood staring strangely at him now, the grin replaced with a grim mouth and furrowed brow. He seemed to sense the unrest from Rex even though he was doing his best to hide it. Once the sounds of Aiya prepping in the kitchen could be heard he gave the Captain a questioning look. Previous joviality replaced by true concern.

"Something's wrong Rex. What is it? "

Rex stared at him mutely for a full minute, fighting his thoughts. He hadn't come to confess. He didn't even know why he was there. He really didn't want to speak about it.

And yet, he did, more than words could express.

He conceded with a long breath finally, a hand to his head, fingers pressing above his eyes.

"It was... Umbara. We...the general." Words eluded him. "I..." What? He'd given the report and still could really bring himself to find words for it.

At last he shook his head and gave a tap to his helmet.

"I think...it'd be easier if I just showed you. "

Fox's gaze was intense on him now, roving his face, dipping to his helmet. Processing what his friend had just said. He understood perfectly, he just didn't believe it. Helmet vids were used to document battles and it was required that they were recorded for that purpose. But they were by code transferred to a military database under watch by superiors and erased immediately after. Safety measure. Stored data was compromising. It had to be erased. By code.

Rex lived the code. He always had. Why was he breaking procedure now? That of itself spurred Fox to place a hand on his friend's shoulder and urge him to have a seat right away. He pressed the Captain into a chair and pulled up his own and sat, hands out for the helmet.

"Let's have a look."

...

Afterwards they sat for a long time in silence, neither knowing quite what to say, or perhaps unwilling. The air was a thick weight between them. Dark. Stagnant.

Rex sat tapping the spoon absentmindedly against the empty bowl in front of him. After Fox had removed the helmet, he had started to say something, but had stopped, unable to find the words to make sense of his thoughts. He had given Rex an unfathomable look, something between horror and sympathy. And then he had sat for a long time, not a word passing between them.

Fox was bent over in his seat with elbows resting on his knees, chin on his knuckles, replaying it all in his mind. He had watched it all. Fast forwarded some parts, slowed others. It flashed before his eyes in macabre spurts now.

The deep mist and glowing trees, dark banks and electric weapons. He saw brothers shot by horrific crawling machines and pierced by neon streaks. Dissolved by energy blasts. Scattering and trampled. He had heard the screams and cries and calls for cover and help and pain. The pleading to live and be saved...and the begging to die.

He saw the jedi. He saw again and again the jedi: Krell. The dismissals of rest and advice, the heavy and cruel rebuke and saber-drawn threats. He had witnessed the jedi make real on those threats in both agonizingly slow and rushed time, with live and garbled sounds. He'd seen brothers kill their own. Then, brothers sliced with the fiery slashes and stabs of swords which were supposed to be ones of light, of peace and protection. They had been vicious, wicked death to so many.

He remembered the last words of the general. Mocking and pride and greed and disgust. He heard the shot again, the single shot, and then silence. Fox looked at Rex.

"Rex. It...It wasn't your fault, Rex." he said at last.

Rex gave him a shadow of a smile. He wondered if the commander knew how much that simple admission affected him. If he was honest with himself, he hadn't been entirely sure how Fox would take it all. He had been possessed of a slight but real fear that the commander would be appalled at his actions, would rise and order him out of the shop in disgust.

For as long as they had known eachother Fox had been a rule-player. Always. By the book. Everything by the regs.

Force, he still had the standard haircut. Even with orders to differentiate his armor from his men as his role as commander he had chosen to paint his armor in exactly the same style, merely reversing the colors. The rules. He'd taken pride in them as much as Rex.

He wondered if that was why they had clashed so heatedly as cadets. It had always been a competition of sorts between them back then. Most of it not the friendly kind.

That Fox was seemingly willing to absolve him from fault of blaring discrepancies was strange. Not unwelcome, it touched him in a way he felt grateful for, but it was still strange. He wondered if Fox had changed that much, or the circumstances were just that bizarre that any reaction would be rendered just as strange.

Rex looked back at Fox again as he rose and gave a nod of thanks. He wondered silently how things would have gone if Fox had been there. Would he have lost more men, or less? How much would he have tolerated from Krell? Fox had never been possessed of the unchecked admiration Rex had for jedi. Rex had always pegged that off to simple arrogance, but had later found it to have a different basis. Would he have stood up to jedi? Would he have been able to shoot Krell himself?

"I really should head back." He glanced at the empty bowl. "Tell Aiya thanks for me will you?"

Fox rose and walked aorund the table to put a hand on his shoulder, frowning. "You don't... have to go back, Rex. At least not right away. Not right now. Stay." Rex froze for a second, remembering a similar offering, on a morning which seemed so long ago.

Cut Laquwane. Cut had told him that once.

His response now was all but the same, although the calling to accept the offer was stronger now. Much stronger. Back then it had seemed a wisp of a dream, a sweet but nonsense request. Now it was different. Now it was real and tangible and...almost desired. And that discomforted Rex.

"I have to get back. My men...need me." He scrubbed a hand over his face before lifting his helmet to replace it on his head. He stared at it in his hands for a moment. The weight of it a question. The open mouth of it sneering at him. Asking. Was he really worthy of wearing it?

He had always been a man of undisputed faith and belief in himself. Give him a task and he'd do it. Some how, someway. It wasn't arrogance, merely honest pride. He really was that good.

Was. The helmet was a dead weight in his hands. "Force knows I let them down enough." Did they want him back? After what he'd done? After how badly he'd failed them? He'd never had so many question his orders before, and he'd never ignored, bypassed and regretted that so completely.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Rex. You were handed a bum lot and you did the best you could."

Was that his best? Rex shuddered inwardly.

Fox seemed to sense him slipping away, and was equally determined to distract him of it.

"I finally met that commander of yours," he called after the captain's retreating form.

Rex turned and Fox gave a small grin.

"Briefly. When you were away. She was down about being left behind, I suppose. Stopped by a bit. "

Ahsoka. Rex hadn't seen her since they returned yet. When they had landed he hadn't wanted to. He'd pointedly avoided her. The clash of his deep affection and trust of her and his current feelings towards jedi causing him to want to run.

At the time it had seemed a good idea, now it felt strange.

"My boys are quite taken with her, it seems. Like moths to a krinking light."

Rex snorted. "She seems to have that affect."

"She does."

The words were unspoken, but there. Fox knew of Rex's fondness for the padawan. Had heard him speak of her over the years.

You could use some of that light.

He just had to remember that her light was true. Krell's had been false. Krell hadn't been a jedi when he sabotaged them, disavowed the republic and murdered. He hadn't. That wasn't what jedi were, or stood for. He knew that.

Why was he so unsure of it right now?

Rex gave Fox a staeady look over his shoulder.

"Promise me something, will you?"

Fox raised an eyebrow. "Been there. Done that. Still haven't told anyone."

Rex stared at him for a second blinking before bursting out laughing. He had forgotten that. A promise made years ago. A slip up, an admission, a promise. A breakthrough after years of hating each other for ridiculous reasons. He shook his head as he put on his helmet and turned to Fox, who was watching him with a look of relieved amusement.

Rex reached an arm out and Fox took it, clasping his forearm and looked his friend dead in the eyes as he spoke.

"Dont hesitate. No matter who it is...if it comes down to it and your men are in danger. Even if it's someone you trust. Someone you like...Even if it's a jedi. Don't hesitate to question, and shoot, like I did."

...

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CaptainReb and Cozzizzie: Thanks for your reviews and input! I like both as well, them being friends and Rexoka. My original plan for this story has them remaining friends. The one-shot I I'm working on, I was debating whether or not I should have them meet up again or not after everything goes down with my crew following order 66. In Rebels-it wasn't quite clear if they hadn't seen eachother since Ahsoka left the order, or if it had just been a while. At least, I'm pretending it's murky ;).

I want sure if I was going to have them just thinking of eachother from far apart or actually meeting. I think I've decided I want them to meet up.

I have had some private requests for a Rexoka also, though. So, I think what I'm going to do is post the one-shot and have an extra chapter. The first chapter will be the original, and the second will be a Rexoka spin of it. Kind of a "pick your path" thing.

Rex and Fox. I like the idea of them having a rival dynamic during training. And Cody being a mediator of sorts between them (sorry Cody!). I'll be writing their story after I finish up the arc with Surge, Trust, Hatch and Ravi.

Next chapter is an interlude. A Turns 2 chapter with everyone and Ahsoka, which takes place while Rex and the 501st were at Umbara. Even though it occurs before this chapter, I wanted it to be read after. A little sweet before things go dark. Coming up is Ahsoka's escape from prison from Fox's point of view, then her recapture and trial from her point of view.


	22. Turns II

Turns II

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Rhea glanced across the street as they waited for the traffic signal to change, the wind plucking her hair from the nape of her neck and ruffling the bottom of her dress. At her side Soru shifted small feet, colorful shoes scraping the permacrete with impatience. He had caught sight of the men in the red and white armor across the street and was eager to be among them. His small head moved in conjunction with his looks, swiveling between them all.

Rhea found herself doing the same. It was strange, seeing so many of them. Exactly alike in appearance, but she knew, different people entirely. She had only met two of them, but was assured the pattern was true of each. She looked for a familiar symbol on their armor, any mark she could latch onto by identity, but it was impossible to decipher such a small difference from that distance. Still, even knowing they were not people she knew, the familiarity of their appearance was enough to bring a feeling of warmth to her chest.

She looked down at Soru with a smile. "We'll be there soon."

They crossed the street and stepped up to two of the guards standing in front of the large security complex at the crossroads. They caught sight of her, their gazes intially passing over her as they did the rest of the crowd, but falling again and remaining on her and Soru as they recognized themselves as her destination. She saw them both shift slightly with surprise, then postured in polite inquiry.

"Ma'am? Is there something we can help you with?" The guard's helmeted gaze slipped over her and Soru, quick but thorough. Memorizing their appearance for a later report perhaps, or checking for signs of duress.

Now that she stood in front of them Rhea found herself fighting to form words, the man in front of her appearing so similar to someone so dear she was overwhelmed with the urge to wrap her arms around him on the spot, a reassurance that he was real and well against her.

But he wasn't Turns.

She had lapsed into silence for a long enough time that he had reached a hand up and removed his helmet, and tucked it under his elbow to regard her, perhaps feeling a a face would ignite her voice. The scar at his temple confirmed he wasn't either of the men she knew.

"Ma'am? Is something wrong?"

The other trooper had knelt and was running a hand over Soru's head, eliciting a giggle, before he tilted his head to regard her.

She blushed in embarrassment, her eyes falling on her feet.

"Sorry! Yes, I mean...no. We're just..." She looked back to the trooper watching her, concern visible without his helmet. "Is Turns here?"

He blinked at that in obvious surprise.

"Turns? He's..." He looked at her again strangely, eyes flitting between them. "You know him?"

"Yes," she smiled, bolstered by the fact that he sounded as though he knew Turns himself. "He hasn't been by in a while. We just wanted to..." She looked between them, "Lex said he was ok, but injured last week and we wanted to make sure he's doing ok. If that's alright?"

He peered intently at them for a moment, eyes dancing once more over them before he exchanged a conspiratorial glance with his companion and gave a wink and a grin.

"I think we can manage that Ma'am. Just let me ring the Sarge."

...

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Turns regretted not asking them to come sooner.

He had given them vague details over the years. A children's center that he volunteered at a few times a week. Just a place he went on the days he didn't go to the shop with them. For some reason he had felt that any description of it just wouldn't add up to the real thing, might make it seem trite. And that it wouldn't interest them. The warmth and the magic of the place wasn't entirely unlike the shop, but it also was, in subtle ways. It was a different kind of comfort, a place to nurture more than to be nurtured. Often loud and messy and silly, but also...simple. Maybe he had felt they might find it too simple. That they weren't possessive of the inner call it answered within himself.

Whether that was true or not, they seemed to be enjoying it in their own ways. And they had seemed proud when he had asked them to tag along. Proud to be a part of something that held interest and importance for him. Which made him smile, and also regret the keeping of it from them all the more.

He sat at the long table sipping another cup of tea that Rhea had slid into his hands before slicing some fruit and sitting down herself beside him. Ahsoka sat at his other side, a soft smile and glow. Fingers looping her own cup with one hand and the other cradling her chin. Her chair was angled in such a way that her knee rested against his beneath the table, the lightest touch but it spoke magnitudes. A posture of ease and comfort, a companionship she shared and was used to sharing often and freely.

Someone who was friend and leader and support to many. Unpresuming yet present. Soft, yet strong, as the Captain had said. Confident. A different kind of confidence than had been there back then, when he had first seen her.

When she had seemed so young and small and out of place.

When he'd all but abandoned her.

He looked across the table at Hatch and Surge, puling himself from those thoughts before they snagged him again.

Beside him Rhea had eyes on them also and she gave a giggle.

"Are you all this way?" She asked him, humor sparking her eyes.

Turns looked at her, confused.

She gestured to the two across from them, then the others. "Good with kids. You all naturally seem to be."

He snorted.

"I think you're misrembering mine and the Sarge's learning curve."

They both chuckled at those memories. Rhea looked to Lex, who had once believed himself unqualified to hold a baby, yet now scooped the same child who toddled about up easily, amid admonishing Ravi for telling a story inappropriately. Trust sat in a corner playing speeders with a lone child, a grin playing over his lips at whatever the other trooper had been saying.

Across from them another round of maniacal high pitched giggles erupted and they couldn't help but respond with matched titters of their own. Hatch had the current smallest baby of the center on his lap, and was pretending to eat the random things which the little one was trying to feed with repeated ramming into his face.

Surge was making sure the baby had a steady supply, plucking loose toys from the floor and tucking them with dedication into the chubby little fists. Each time a new toy connected with his face Hatch made a comical expression of it, stoking another giggle from the baby which brought another peal of laughter to the others. The game continued for a good while before Hatch finally turned to Turns, eyes crinkling with humor as the baby tried to shove anther toy into his mouth but ended up bumping his cheek instead.

"By the force... my face...is...so... sore, but I don't...want him to...stop laughing." He had difficulty getting the words out, he was laughing so hard.

The others lost themselves in chuckles of their own at the predicament.

Finally, wiping a hand over her eyes, Rhea rose and held her arms out to him. "Here, you can catch a break while I feed him." She took the baby to her shoulder and turned to Ahsoka with a smile. "Would you like to help? We'll feed him then lay him down for a nap."

Ahsoka looked more than a little unsure, but also eager to accept.

"I've...never done it before."

"First time for everything," Rhea gave her a cheeky grin, which the young commander returned and responded to with a hop. She flashed the others a sheepish smile before following the red-haired woman over to the sleeping area tucked away in the far corner.

They watched her go, and Hatch swiveled to face Turns. "So this is where you've been on the days you don't come to the shop. I have to admit, I suspected you had a lady friend, but I didn't anticipate all this." He swept an arm over the room, then thumbed in the direction Rhea and Ahsoka had taken the baby. His elbows rose to rest on the table and he pursed his lips playfully.

"Seems like everyone's beating me to it."

"To what?" Surge asked, stacking the toys on the table then pushing them tidily to the side.

"The whole deal. Girl and a kid. I can't believe it, all you lot..."

Turns gave a small smile. "Rhea's just a friend, Hatch. No secret relationship. And the children are...everyone's. You can visit them whenever you like."

"You're not too far behind, vod, " Surge reasoned. "Commander's the only one who meets that criteria."

"You do have a girl at least, though..." Hatch looked up as Ravi came to sit beside him.

Lex was giving his back a dark look from across the room, and he gave an air of innocent confusion as he sat.

"Apparently my versions of the stories are inappropriate for little ears."

"...Even this di'kut."

Ravi looked at Hatch. "What?"

"You have a girlfriend. Hatch hasn't procurred one yet," Turns answered helpfully, chin-in-hand.

Ravi gave Hatch a look, studying him for a second before snorting.

"That happened by accident-"

"Your flirting with Juni during interrogation was accidental?"

Ravi ignored him, lifting a finger, "And, I wasn't holding out for a certain Commander, so..."

Surge laughed.

Turns blinked, looking suddenly taken aback. "Are you referring to..." his eyes drifted in the direction Ahsoka had left and back to the others.

Hatch rolled his eyes and lifted palms ot the air. "I said she was cute...one time."

"But you meant it." Ravi grinned. He looked at Turns who was still giving Hatch a weird look. "Don't worry, Trust already promised to hurt him if he tries anything."

Turns broke of the stare with an amused shake of his head.

Hatch sighed, looking out over the room again. Ravi followed his gaze, his eyes passing over Lex and a sudden thought curled his lips.

"You know, if you're having lonesome feels...you could go for a walk at the University and pretend to be Sarge."

Lex, overhearing, looked up.

Ravi's grin widened. "Apparently quite a few ladies were taken with him when he made an appearance there, according to Juni." He gave the sergeant who was looking aghast a thumbs up. "You've got a little fan club going, mister tall, dark and brooding."

"Wh...I wasn't...brooding. I was...what? " The sergeant looked shocked, guilty and embarrassed all at once.

Turns couldn't help it, he laughed with the others, wrapping an arm around his middle to lessen the movement and the hitch of pain it brought. Hatch glanced at Lex when he'd stopped laughing, looked like he was considering it.

"What was he doing there? "

"Juni's plan. I told her Sarge had a thing for books, and the University has a great library. So we lured him there." He gave an exasperated sigh and looked at the ceiling. " All he had to do was meet us in the lobby and he would've walked right past it...Unfortunately we underestimated his complete lack of direction." He lifted an eyebrow. "We had to go looking for him...All that work and he never even made it to the library. We found him with wandering the halls with an idiot grin on his face and a stolen book, though, so I guess it wasn't a total bust."

"I didn't steal it." Lex looked offended for a moment, beofre astonishment took over. "You planned all that? How did you even know I like books? I never told any of you." He looked between them from across the room, his eyes even falling on Trust who still sat in the corner and shrugged at the glance.

"Uh, you're our Sarge. We know everything about you, whether you like it or not. That's what squads do. Even if it takes us a while," Ravi gave Turns a narrowed, pointed look, placing elbows on the table and tucking his chin on his fists. "Speaking of which...I couldn't help but notice you acting a little strangely around the Commander." Everyone turned to look at Turns, even Trust lifted his head briefly. "Nervous-like. And you're not the nervous type. The secret keeping-silent type, but not nervous. Anything you want to confess, vod?"

The accusation and implications were heavy, but Ravi had a way of speaking which seemed to render anything ridiculous, believing himself capable of coaxing truth to improbable scenarios with wiggling eyebrows and animated nodding.

Turns snorted, lacing his fingers together against the placemat and staring at them.

"I suppose I have to remain severely disappointing for you in the romance department."

"Really? Because you seem a bit...protective of the Commander. Practically gave Hatch the stink eye. How long have you known her?"

Turns blinked. He hadn't realized he had given that impression. He had honestly been more surprised than anything.

"A good while now. But I've only met her once before," He admitted. "I was there when she first arrived on Christophsis, and in her presence only briefly. I was keeping eyes on the other buildings when she was discussing things with the general. I didn't mean to be listening in, but honestly we all were...When she called him 'Skyguy' I was so shocked I turned. And the lot of us laughed. Even Rex, though he didn't have a helmet on to hide it." He chuckled at the memory before continuing.

"I heard she and the General took out the shield generator after the battle, when I was in med-bay. Then they shipped out and I didn't see her again. I thought about her, though..." his eyes drifted to where she had gone "Especially when I first came here. How young and small she looked. " A feeling of remorse welled up inside him.

"In a way, I feel like I failed her. I abandoned her, when I came here. Checked out and walked out on a kid. Maybe that's why... I keep coming here." He placed his chin on a hand with a sad smile.

"That's not what happened at all."

Lex had walked over and stooped over to pluck the bowl of fruit from the table. "You didn't have a choice in being assigned here." He offered a piece to the child in his arms. "From what I remember you weren't thrilled with the idea back then, either." He let his eyes pass slowly over each of the others before rolling them heavily as he walked back to where a throng of children were playing and he sat down among them, passing out the fruit to hungry fingers that swarmed him. "Not that I blame you..."

"Love you, Sarge," Ravi cajoled.

Hatch chuckled.

"Well, since the Commander's out, " he poked a tongue at Turns, "Maybe I will take you up on that University visit..."

He tossed a glance at Trust, giving a dismissive gesture with a hand. "Because I need to find someone or something before that guy. If he ends up in a relationship before me..."

"Trust? In a...relationship?" Ravi blinked.

Surge looked over his shoulder and shrugged. "He's good with kids."

"Yeah, but...can you imagine him with a girl?"

"The...immense...awkwardness..."

"I can hear you all."

The timer on the oven behind them dinged and Turns made to rise to get it but Ahsoka and Rhea had returned, and they both pressed hands to his shoulders.

"Nope." Ahsoka said, bright eyes and smile and retaking her seat.

"I've got it. You take it easy..." Rhea said as she stepped over to remove the tray from within. The smell hit them all and the others jumped up to help her, laying down a pad for the tray and unstacking dishes.

They were just finishing prepping the snack when there was a soft rap at the door and Rhea left the room to answer it. The others began ushering the children to the table, washing each pair of hands before getting everyone seated. Ahsoka was following Turns' example, adding helpings to each plate and piecing them out with a devotion that made him smile.

A minute later small hands looped his waist lightly from behind and he gave a grin over his shoulder. "Miss Fay." The little girl looked up at him with a goofy grin before returning her attention to the others at the table, eyes darting among them, face growing suddenly timid and serious.

Although this would make her second visit, Turns knew she was shy in the presence of so many. He gave her a smile and reached out a hand.

"Want to sit with me for a bit?"

She nodded and climbed into his lap, the weight against his abdomen smarting a little and he fought a grimace, but once she settled the heat of her back was soothing to the dull ache there. Her small hands found one of his right away, her fingers automatically pressing small paths across his palm, reminiscent of how Aiya massaged hers. It was a cute thing to mimic and something Turns knew she did self-consiously when nervous. He smiled and rested his chin on top of her head.

There was a laugh from behind, and thin arms encircled them both for a moment. The weight of a cheek pressed softly to the top of his head and a light sweet familiar smell, before Aiya pulled away and took a seat on the other side of Ahsoka with a warm smile at him, and then the others.

Fox approached after, stepping forward to sit with them, giving everyone a nod, eyes panning the many faces at the table, the few familiar and many new and small.

"Commander." He acknowledged Ahsoka as his gaze fell on her and she gave him a bright smile in return. He looked to the others again before glancing back at her with amusement. "I can only imagine the image you have of the Coruscant Guard, having spent a day with this lot."

...

.

.

Sorry for the lateness! Painting rooms this week before we get some new furniture in. :) Should be back to normal next week, and the next TOK chapter should be out Sunday or Monday.

*I received a pm question this week that I wanted to answer here in the notes, just in case anyone else is wondering (probably getting way ahead of myself here lol, but just in case): It's completely cool to write about or include any of my OCs in a story if you like!

I'd be honored, actually. ~_~ Feel free to use them or any place I've written about, just let me know, because I'd love to read it if you do!

OwlFur and Cozzizzie and CaptainReb and TGP. You guys are my review heroes :) Thank you.

And...TGP made me another super cool cover for TOC so I updated it.

Isn't it awesome?! I love it. (Love you too TGP! )

Man, I'm spoiled rotten XD


	23. Fox III

Fox III

...

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.

It was an evening that toed the darkness and taunted it, that chased a tragedy and rekindled it anew. For him, and for her. For them all. A night of regret, confusion and heated thoughts and shots and feet and blood. Death and craze and hate. And looks. So many looks...ones he'd never forget.

"I'm Commander Tano. I'm here to see the prisoner."

He knew who she was, although she had looked different back when they had first met. Light and smiles and heaping a plate of food for him as he sat. She didn't seem to recognize him, her thoughts tangled elsewhere and distant as her eyes. Not unlike everyone's then. There was still a light there, though. He didn't think it was possible to snuff that, but it played backdrop to something else now. Now her gaze was dark and clouded and edged. Harder than before.

Wars did that to you. People dying did that to you.

"A lot of innocent people died in those blasts. Good job bringing her in."

He stepped forward as he spoke and saw her blink with sudden recognition. A small smile of embarrassment. A jedi-sense perhaps. He hadn't been wearing his armor the last time they'd met. There was a small stoke of pride in his chest that she did remember him now. In an army of likeness it was a comfort to be remembered.

She was scanned and parted with anything which might offer or provoke a recourse toward the accused. He didn't anticipate anything of that nature but procedure had to be followed and she hadn't seemed offended or hesitated to comply.

Things weren't supposed to go wrong.

He had led her down the hallway to the woman's cell with an allowance for himself of a small feeling of relief. An expectation of pressing forward and making progress. He had heard many times, from the lips of many brothers that she could be fierce when she needed to be. The other part to her softness that he hoped would come into play that night.

He couldn't imagine what the prisoner wanted to tell her, but he was eager to hear it said. To have the 501st Commander make work of it. A breakthrough. A confession. Something that would allow his return to his normal post.

He opened the door as the guards took up stances on either side without instruction. A small and simple thing, but a show of confidence that they were both reliable, and good, men, equally loyal and hard working as his own. Not that he doubted it, it was just a comfort to kindle at that moment.

But it caused his mind to drift unnecessarily and also reminded that they weren't his men, not in the way of those he oversaw and assigned rotation to at the other complex. Those he shared his double life with. In a way, at that moment, he was very glad of that, eyes on the Commander's back as she stepped across the cell to the figure on the bed..

The woman had given him a look then, from beneath the rim of her hat and arms wrapping her knees as he stood in the doorway. A dark look, venom and distrust and hate. It shocked him a little, and he stared back at her, feeling the heat rise within him. It was insulting. He and his men had done nothing to her aside from booking, escorting and watching.

He had no love for her, it was true, and he certainly wouldn't have been above shooting her if the situation called for it, but neither he nor his brothers had taken any part in, or were in any way inclined to, mistreat a prisoner simply because they had poor favor of them.

When Ahsoka had asked him to go he had gone gladly, welcoming the distance from the crazy woman and that degrading look.

He didn't anticipate the death.

He stood at the doorway again, mere minutes later, in shock and trying to find words that matched his mind to the reality which tasted like bile and cracked like gritted teeth. The flicker of a dying woman passing before his eyes. His prisoner. On his watch.

It couldn't be. But it was. The woman was dead and Ahsoka had a look of surprise. As though she didn't believe it herself.

She looked up at him, bent over the body of a dead woman and a dark image flashed across and seared into his mind. A jedi gone rogue. Threats and deceit and lightsabers, neon arcs and slashes and a dark figure hovering over dead bodies.

Fox battled the images and sounds of a friend's rule-breaking helmet vids as he did the same of duty and emotions. It was a bad place to be. Compromising. Dangerous. Deadly. He severed the emotional tie, removing his familiarity with her, and received cold clarity as a consolation. He drew his blasters and pointed them to her head.

She had looked at him then, before she turned and raised her hands, with vivid eyes, bright and blue-fire and stunned meek. Looked to him for some solace or reprieve, before mumbling her own to herself when he failed to give either.

He had none to offer. Had to perform his duty in spite of feelings. The nature of his job forbade him partiality, whether he would have afforded it to her that or not.

"I can't say I blame you, Commander Tano. All the same, you're under arrest."

...

.

He watched it over and over.

Trying to reconcile the images in his mind with the girl he'd met, feeding and playing with children and laughing beside his men. The stories he'd heard about her from the brothers of the 501st, the look of Rex's eyes as he spoke of her.

He saw her again, arms outstretched, the woman hovering above her and gagging in the invisible grasp. Clawing desperately at a neck which compressed harshly without touch. Dying. At the whim of the Commander's fingertips.

She didn't. She couldn't have.

But she did.

He watched it again before turning off the projection and setting it down on the table. Sliding it as far away as possible and sitting with his head in his hands, fingers pressing against his eyes.

He sat for as long as his break allowed, returning to the monitoring station long minutes later with insides and thoughts still churning.

She had been there.

They had both jolted at the sight of the other and she had looked at him again, that same look. Surprise, confusion. Desperation.

Pleading.

But in that moment he only saw the men on the ground. And that she stood above them, lightsabers in her hands. They weren't active but they were there and there was no way she had procured them without force.

No matter who it is. Even if its a jedi...don't hesitate.

He hit the alarms and she had run.

The hunt began. A race against time, and the farther he ran the more it solidified in his mind. Stop her. Stop her. A jedi gone bad. A rogue force user. If he didn't a lot of brothers would die. He saw them in his mind.

Rex's voice echoed sudden and crackling in his helmet. Hot panic in his ear. Did you find her? Where is she? Fox!

She'd gotten past the restraining corridor. If he didn't stop her soon they wouldn't be able to.

He found her as he rounded a corner. She froze for a grain of a second. An eon of time captured in a moment, a heartbeat, and a glance. She didn't bother speaking with her lips, only her eyes again. He opened fire, and the blasts sparked a path behind her against the corridor.

He fell to his knees beside the men at his feet.

She wouldn't she wouldn't...

They were dead. Molten slashes in their backs on the floor. Eyes unseeing.

"She's killed clones. Code red. I repeat. Shoot to kill."

Clones. They were more than that. They were men. But it was regs to call them that when accounting deaths, to make the distinction. Even when they lay on the floor, felled by a lightsaber.

A jedi had made short work of his brothers in this manner before. At the expense of a friend. In a deplorable retaliation that was nothing less than a massacre by all accounts. He wouldn't let it happen again.

Rex was there now, arguing against her guilt even as his eyes fell on the men on the floor. But Fox knew behind that visor his eyes were painted with the same uncertainty and horror. He repeated himself over the private comm. Mumbles and head shaking and pauses and broken voice. Trying to convince Fox. Trying to convince himself.

"Then who did? " Fox asked. He didn't want to, but it needed to be said. And there was no answer that Rex could give that would spare him something he didn't want to think about or see.

Fox hated her then.

For killing his brothers. For putting Rex through it all over again.

Fox couldn't see Rex's face but he knew the expression he bore. He heard the sucked breath over the private comm before the channel closed.

The General had tried to reason with her but she was unreachable. Fox didn't know what he would have done at the sight of her at that moment anyways. He still knelt by the bodies of brothers. Rex faltered, eyes dancing over the men and Fox knew what he saw. It played before his eyes, too. The men at their feet were what they had never wanted to see again. What they hadn't wanted to believe could happen again.

Skywalker told Rex to call it in, a request cruel without intention, and Rex did. Impartial words and steady voice. It was the voice they had been made to master in command training. The voice you used when you were at your breaking point, but pretended you were sure of what to do and of the mind to do it. Fox knew it when he heard it, and knew Rex was neither.

In the courtyard he saw her again. Perched on the statue like an angel of death in the night. Even in the darkness his eyes found her and held onto her, followed her.

The blaster fire shrieked past her shoulders, streaked at her feet. The turrets joined, taking up chunks behind her heels.

The ship exploded just as she reached it, sending her sprawling to the ground. Hot flash flames and scraps to the sky, her boots and hands to the permacrete before she took off again.

At that moment Fox froze in a state of awe, forgetting for a second his purpose. Stunned at her immunity to something that would have crippled or killed anyone else. Her thin small form sprinting away from the explosion like a shadow.

The orders came through to catch her alive and Fox wasn't sure if he was relieved or furious. She still swung neon death in her wake. Shot after shot had no effect.

It didn't hit him until later that they never struck a man down. Not once. Not amid being shot at by blaster and stun rays, turrets and rocket launchers fired on by air and foot, surrounded. The sound of fingers on triggers, spotlights.

He saw her face clearly at that moment as she stood cornered, one against many. Her eyes passing over himself and Rex. Asking, not believing. Scared. Hurt. Angry. And then her master between them. Betrayal. A loss of faith. The kind you don't recover from.

And then again. The last time he saw her. Looking up from the top of the ship below them as it sank to the depths of Coruscant. A final look of aloneness and resolve that she pieced between Rex and Skywalker. Her eyes hadn't sought his again.

He remembered that. The look she didn't give him.

...

He wasn't a jedi but he could feel them. The weight of their stares and unspoken words and thoughts.

He had denied their requests to take up duty at the complex where Ahsoka had been kept. Had kept them away from her. On purpose, for the sake of partiality.

And now he was there to ask them to go after her for that very same reason.

He have them all a weighted look that left no room for discussion. No quips or smart remarks or personal biases. Only the expectation of compliance and the acknowledgment of sincere trust.

"Skywalker wants her found and brought back." He looked at them all, knew he was affording them a wish while giving himself a nightmare. It never got easier picking men you knew may very well not make it back alive. They needed no persuasion and suited up immediately. Grateful yet hard eyes and silent.

He tried reconciling the opposing images and thoughts and feelings again. His blood which had so furiously boiled over now simmered, slow but steady. His head competed for truth within itself. The choking of the woman. The frightened stare. The look of betrayal and the refusal to attack back.

It didn't make sense. None of it did.

Maybe it wasn't supposed to.

"He wants someone who won't go in blasters blazing, and so I figure you lot are the ones for it. Commander Wolffe is waiting for you at the platform."

He stepped out into the corridor as they gathered their gear, still questioning his choice even though he knew it was the right one. He'd never second-guessed so many things in his life.

Lex joined him as he waited for the others, saying nothing but there was an accepting comfort in his stance, and his silence. Neither he nor the others had believed Ahsoka guilty of what Fox told them, but neither had they argued, seeing the look on his face and the obvious trouble of his thoughts. There was no judgement in the crossing of his arms or the neutrality of his face as he stared at the opposite wall.

Fox looked over at him.

"I've called Shard and his squad for this also."

Lex blinked, surprised. He knew Shard. They had been in the same training batch on Kamino. He also knew he was stationed at a different complex, and a special request had to to have been made.

"Shard is a good choice." Lex admitted. "He may not be the most sociable, but he and his men get the job done, no questions asked. You say don't shot, they won't."

Fox didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing anymore. He nodded assent and closed his eyes, tilting his head back to rest it on the wall, trying to forget the looks.

...

.

.

And here we are...full circle. It's funny, the thought of my squad came from watching this arc, and the one with Fives, and wanting to write about the men who were tasked with reprimanding them. I never felt that Fox was a bad guy, just a bit of a smart-shebs, and unwaveringly loyal to what he believed was just (Also, I thought his armor was cool).

Although it was my aim to not contradict canon events too much, I definitely have taken a few liberties with this arc. I hope they weren't disappointing!

*Special news for you guys- I have a few stories that have been in the works for a bit and aren't ready yet, but will be popping up at some point.

Not Like This:

A lost chapter of sorts which takes place between the Kix and Ahsoka chapters. Fox and Aiya in a romantic way. It'll be rated M. -I would say its not too much more explicit than anything I've written so far in the Surge or Rex chapters, but it does cover a romantic encounter from beginning to end. Just a heads up (and warning to anyone who may be opposed to reading that kind of thing). There isn't anything major which you'll miss by not reading it. They'll be discussing things that have been hinted at (Aiya feeling guilty about Turns, Lex having unreciprocated feelings for her, a joking admission of Fox's rivalry with Rex before Aiya meets him. And just the knowledge that they have now shared an experience which they hadn't yet in the year or so they've been together before).

The Other Side:

Obi-wan and Cody crash land on a backwater Separatist planet.

The Moonlight Soldier:

Pure fluff. Takes place after the Turns II chapter. Juni's hosting a dance class to meet college dues, and she has a few ladies lined up. The catch- they want to dance with certain someones. Cozzizzie- I was thinking it needed expanded on too ;). Will feature Turns, Trust, Lex, Hatch, Net, Fetcher, and Steel.

It's been a busy few weeks and I kind of fizzled out for a bit. Sorry! I'm not going to choose days anymore because that's been a failure -_-, but I promise to try really hard to get a chapter of each story to you guys each week. Thanks for sticking with me, and all the favorites and follows and reviews! Next TOK chapter should be up soon, and I'll see you in TOC next time with Ahsoka!


	24. Ahsoka II

~Ahsoka II~

...

.

.

Ahsoka was still reeling from it all, trying to unearth sense where none seemed willing to be found. She stepped away from the holobooth with a small flicker of hope that had been stoked by the conversation with Barriss. It was a welcome reprieve at that moment. When her thoughts were chaos and her insides were churning with unrelenting questions and the beginnings of a deep seated resentment.

The game against her felt shadowed and slick as the wet-heat night, as bracing as the scent of the refuge at her feet, and foreign. She had played games before. She had looked hardship in the eyes many times and laughed- if not then, afterwards. This was different. Uncertainty in a situation had more times than not been a shared grin, a shoulder swat, a rolling of the eyes.

But she had never been so deeply uncertain of herself before, and it was a grim mouth and twinging chest and so newly and strangely, alone.

When she turned to speak to the other woman who stood a few feet away, form forboding and eyes eerie in the shadows, it was an image made all the more powerful because it was the seal to a reality Ahsoka wanted no part of.

She still didn't entirely know what had spurred her to ask Ventress for aid. Perhaps it truly was the betrayal they shared, and perhaps it was more than that. Deep down maybe there was this instinct to be with and connect to someone, anyone, in the darkest of times. Maybe everyone strived to not be alone in those kinds of moments.

Whatever the reason, it was a comfort to have someone there, hovering behind her with interest of some kind, even if it wasn't from a compassionate perspective, even if it was Ventress.

"Well?" The once-sith drawled, arms crossed and feigning disinterest, but Ahsoka could feel the true curiosity of her through the force. She had the feeling of someone who had long since grown bored and had just reignited a spark which was being cloyed at desperately. The pale woman had reacted further to the mention of the warehouse Barriss revealed and Ahsoka let her heart jump. In the closing darkness, Bariss was a thread of light she held tightly to and was deeply thankful for. And Ventress was another, whether she realized or Ahsoka fully admitted it or not.

"I can get you there."

A small spark of hope.

But they were surrounded before either placed a step and Ventress took up a defensive stance as Ahsoka brought her own hands up and fell into one of her own. The sound of boots on the premacrete and gloved hands on blasters were around them and Ahsoka cursed herself for not sensing anything sooner. More than anything else, right then this was precisely what she didn't want to see or hear, or take part in again.

The armored men who once were beacons of comraderie now stood before her as enemies in a role reversal that still felt far too sinister, too strange. It had been a hard lump to swallow back at the security complex and it was difficult still. A fraction of disbelief lingered in the recesses of her mind, although her chest burned with a rekindled fury. The feeling of being hunted wasn't one that sat well with her, and to have it done by men she once served with was a harsh blow. Disorientating.

Like the tall, thin woman who had instictively placed herself between the Togruta and them, still at her side.

And the feelings that came to her like harsh whispers from the men who now formed a semi-circle around them. There was an inner turmoil present among them, which rolled off them in waves, catching and fizzling the air. She knew Ventress could feel it as well and that she was equally puzzled.

It came so powerfully from those on her left that Ahsoka was baffled for a moment before she realized why. When she recognized them a breath later the memories of their meeting and company played in her mind. Games and food and children and force-touch and animated awkward farewells.

Yet, even they, in spite of their hesitation and familiarity, were still there with the intent to take her in. Commander Wolffe stepped forward and her attention fell to him. Another familiar force-beat. Another friend, with his blasters leveled at her.

It hurt as much as it made her angry and for a moment she was furious.

Her thoughts and heart clenched with betrayal, her mind drifted back to the complex and her escape. When everyone had hunted her down without giving her a chance to explain, not even asking or questioning. When they had fired frantic shots at her, called arms against her, surrounded her like this.

Even Rex. That was a sour thought and she pushed it away immediately, forcing herself to focus. Just focus.

Whatever it was that made them hesitate, familiarity or disbelief or something else, they hadn't rained fire upon her on sight, and she decided to pursue that. Maybe they could be reasoned with.

"Listen to me. I don't want to fight."

"I do." Ventress goaded, closing her helmet.

A bristle went through Commander Wolffe as she spoke and his fingers tightened on his blaster, although he kept eyes on Ahsoka. The others tensed.

"We're taking you in now, Commander."

"That's not going to happen. Trust me. Now, I'm not going to hurt any of you," she looked to Ventress, reaching out ot her with the force as much as she did the men before them.

Please.

"WE'RE not going to hurt any of you. But you're not taking me in."

They definitely weren't. Not until she got to the bottom if it all.

The reaction to her words was immediate, their blasters were poised and focused, and there was a sudden sharp peak of desperation in those she knew that she couldn't quite place.

"Commander, we ARE taking you in."

Ahsoka wasn't sure if it was Wolffe's words or the pointing of the weapons which set Ventress off, but a flame flickered to life within her and she drew her blades, eager to reciprocate with threats of her own. It was all too familiar, a game she had danced many times before and she fell into her role of answering the challenge easily.

"Let's play!" She swung her sabers in wild arcs, causing the troopers to step back with cries of alarm and caution to eachother. She easily sliced through a few blasters. A gesture of play and show more than intent to harm. Ahsoka felt a hesitation on her part as well, perhaps spurred by their attackers uncertainty, or her request. Perhaps she really had changed. But she still didn't trust the woman's judgment or sympathy where clones were concerned. Their deaths had never affected her before and the panic touched her voice.

"Ventress, dont!"

The former sith let out a growl but conceded, tucking her weapons away and she set to disabling them all with a flurry of kicks and blows too fast for them to catch or block.

On her end, Ahsoka did the same.

It was Turns who put a hand on her shoulder, and she lashed out instinctively at the touch. He fell back from her kick and she made quick work of those she knew first, who had eyes on Turns and dropped their guard. She followed through with any who approached. Her speed was too much for them and with force-enhanced strength she was able to topple and toss the men who were nearly double her weight and deal blows capable of disabling even through armor.

They didn't stand a chance. And they knew it, althought they tried. But none fired.

And a strange feeling welled in her chest.

In a night of betrayal and blasters, someone hesitated on her behalf. Whether it was compassion or orders, she wasn't sure but she liked to believe it was the former. She clung to that as her arms and feet collided with men who had become so endeared to her over the years that she inwardly cringed at each connection. But there was no choice, no option but to pursue the thread which might find the ties of her innocence.

She was swift and thorough, as was Ventress.

It was disproportionately one-sided, and over quickly. With their refusal to use their weapons and their reluctance they were overpowered easily. She heard Wolffe's soft cry as he was brought up aganst a beam as she disabled the remaining two. The last had tried knocking her out with his weapon in favor of pulling a trigger in her direction.

Why? She looked down at them all for a moment. Why hadn't any of them fired?

Ventress raised her mask and gave them all a very satisfied once-over. A smile playing across her lips as she watched one by her feet groan and raise himself to his elbows.

"See? Didn't kill one. It's the new me."

They left them all pulling themselves up and staring after them as they made their way to the abandoned warehouse that Ahsoka hoped would be her salvation.

...

But that salvation had come much later, and by means as unexpected and devastatsing as her own death sentence.

She had stood frozen, washed in shock and despair in the moments after Barriss' confession. Amid the collective gasps and the Chancellor's curt dismissal, Anakin had stood ablaze like a fairytale knight, bright and proud and justice. Affection for her so deep it peeled back layers of having been forsaken by the council. But it couldn't dispel it completely.

And Barriss had been led away, a pool of discord and death and emotionless shadow. As bright and beautiful and full as her Master felt at that moment, her former friend was so far the opposite it took up place in her chest and rooted there. A seed of discord which bloomed in the nest of judgement she had received.

She hadn't been prepared for that.

The judgment. From the council and then the court. Friends and strangers. It was more painful than blaster fire she could still hear and feel skirting her shoulders.

Judged and sentenced for horrific acts she hadn't committed, then spared by the guilt of a once-friend who was dead in the force even as she still breathed and walked.

As Ahsoka walked away from the temple after it all, and she knew it was the last time.

Anakin had chased after her, had begged her to stay, had even tried guilting her to. But there was no place for her there, even at his side. As far as she was concerned what had taken place in that chamber was a mockery of everything she had thought and believed the jedi to stand for and she wanted to be as far away as possible just then.

When she had needed them most they had not simply fallen silent, but spoken against her. They had turned blind minds and hearts to her, while giving those who spoke against her the benefit of the doubt. And they had tried to cover their terrible mistake by calling it her great trial. That hurt the most. There was no great feat conquered through mentors turning their backs on her. At that moment, she had wanted to hurt them. Wanted to leave them as wounded as they had her. It was a very un-jedi-like feeling.

But, she was no longer a jedi.

The only thing that mildly appeased the fire within her was when she turned them down, refused them forgiveness with silence. When she had let her eyes pass over each of them in turn and had judged them, as they had judged her.

Except Anakin. The only one who had stood by her side through it all. He stood beside her now, turned away, back hunched and eyes closed with hands fisted at his sides. The only one she hadn't wanted to sting deeply, but ended up hurting the most.

She could feel the darkness that was always present in him, deep seated and molten claws that lingered just beyond the edge of his concience, growing more deep and treacherous. The storm brewing and raging within which was that much closer to boiling over. She didn't want to be the cause of that.

But she couldn't be the dam for it either, as much as she loved him and wished she could be. As much as she dreamed that she had the power to remove it from him completely, forever.

He gave her power in his affection of her. A great power, but it hadn't been enough to quell that fury in all the time she'd known him, and never would be. If she was possessed of that magic she would have done it long ago, would have drawn it from him with arms around his shoulders and her head to his and whispering with lips and force what he needed to hear or feel.

Maybe, once upon a time, she had believed she could. But now she knew she didn't, and it was as humbling as the realization in the temple chamber, that he couldn't do the same for her either.

She knew that now.

...

Days later the emotions had simmered enough that they were tempered somewhat, although she was still as unsure about everything as she had been. That didn't seem to be clearing up as easily or quickly as she had hoped it would. Days of wandering the underworld of Coruscant, the nights dark and alone and the days bright and crowded but without solace.

She had awoken in the dark and dirty corner of the alley where she had taken refuge late the night before, and found the need for caf and smiles and kind words so overwhelming her feet had carried her to a place she had avoided thus far because she hadn't wanted to see it yet. That she couldn't have handled, feeling what she had and searching for what she had.

Or maybe it was really where she had needed to go and be from the begining but had stubbornly refused.

When she pressed open the doors the urge to both bolt and to stay and never leave were so strong she stood frozen at the threshold for a moment, fingers clutching the doorframe and boots a heel-squeak on the tiles.

She hadn't known if they'd be there or not, but they were. And something in her heart moved at the sight of them all. A feeling like stepping into the sunlight after days in the shadows.

It was Fox who saw her first. Caught sight of her out of the corner of his eye and stumbled where he stood. He did a double take and the others turned at the motion.

Their voices which had just been a chorus stopped so suddenly that the other patrons looked up and around blinking. Their eyes all found and lingered on her a moment before sensing the privacy of the situation and returning to their meals.

Those she knew had all frozen where they stood or sat at the counter, half turned and mouths falling open at the recognition of her. Hatch, who had been tilting back on his stool when he saw her, toppled backwards off of it out of pure shock.

"Commander!" he called out from the floor and she felt the beacon of his force signature brighten as he pushed himself to his feet and practically ran into her, the others on his heels. She was in his arms before she could react, pulled tight to his chest as the others stopped just short of colliding with her. Hatch was blazing at the sight and touch of her, surprise and relief. They all were, and for a moment she was reminded of that feeling which she felt so many times before, with her own men, not so long ago. And the arms around her were so reminiscent of a dear friend who had been through so much with her. Who had supported her through so many thing and hard times. A comfort which she'd never have again.

The tears that had welled up and holed themselves inside of her for days, but which had refused to fall now slipped down her cheeks, and she brought her hands up to her face and cried softly into them. Hatch released her in surprise, took a worried step back, hands falling to her arms.

"Ahsoka."

A female voice. She opened her eyes and saw through splayed fingers that Loreen was beside her, and she had a bittersweet expression which matched the one Aiya wore right behind her. Fayna was watching with wide eyes from her mother's arms, her small hand reaching out and latching on the former jedi's sleeve. Loreen smiled softly and pulled the shawl from her shoulders and wrapped it around Ahsoka's, and then ran thumbs over her cheeks, wiping tears. She gave a nod to Turns who had stepped close as Hatch had backed way, and he put hands on her shoulders, urging her to the stairwell at the back of the shop.

Fox walked to the stairs with them, but Ahsoka saw him hesitate and linger there, his eyes dipping to the floor when they caught hers. He didn't follow them up.

In the living area above the shop, she was led to the small table in the kitchenette area to the side of the opening to the balcony. Lex pulled out a chair and Turns pressed her softly down into it as the others took seats or stood around it. Fayna was set on her lap briefly, and the small arms encircled her neck for a few moments before Aiya lifted her away with a smile and pressed a forehead to Ahsoka's briefly.

"Don't you go anywhere, I'm going to fetch you some of those pastries you like."

"And some caf," added Loreen as she retreated as well. " I knew you'd be back for my caf, " she winked and Ahsoka couldnt help but smile. At the playful teasing, at the kindness and warmth that trailed the women's wake and seeped from the men who stayed.

The others remained sitting or standing around her, passing soft words and jokes. Coaxing her to smile and laugh for a long while as she sat and cried and thought and ate. Turns had remained behind her and his hands were still warm on her shoulders as the rest took turns holding her hands or patting her back and offering napkins, in that sweet and akward way they all seemed to be posessed of. The way her men always had. The way she had, in her ignorance and innocence, always thought they would.

When she had risen to go, hours later and belly and heart filled with the best things, in the best way, Hatch had taken her hands in his and the others had fallen silent as he spoken softly. Faltering at first, but determined.

"Commander, we-" she looked at him and gave a small smile and a shake of her head. She was a commander no longer.

But he gave her a look that said he didn't care, that it wasn't important what others may have done or said, and he continued, "We didn't know that they'd turn you back over to Tarkin." He looked directly into her eyes and they sparked with earnesty. "We thought they'd protect you. That they wouldn't let him touch you. We wanted to bring you in because we thought if we did and handed you to them instead, that you'd be safe." He grimaced, eyes falling to the floor. "We never expected..."

That the council would turn their backs on her? It was still a hard taste to swallow. She looked at them all, her eyes panning each. So that was the eagerness she had felt in them then, that need to catch her even when she felt assured they disbelieved her guilt so strongly.

"Neither did I," she admitted. It washed over her again, the feeling of immense loss and abandonment. Threatened to drag her down to the recesses of darkness that fringed her thoughts.

But not everyone was against her. She looked up at them all with her own regret, bit the inside of her cheek.

"Im sorry. For...you know...the fight."

But they all shrugged it off, and a few grins surfaced.

"To be fair.. It wasn't much of a fight." Lex chuckled.

"Yeah...that was rather embarassing on our end," Ravi ran a hand through his hair and Surge snorted.

"I'd say we took it easy on you because you were pretty ladies, but that...wasn't the way of it. We really tried." Hatch scratched his head and looked to Trust who shrugged.

"Did you have orders not to shoot me?"

"Not spoken ones. But no one on that hunt wanted to anyways. The commander chose us because he knew we wouldn't."

"Wolffe?"

"Fox. " Surge admitted and she fell silent at his name, and her face must have been a peek at her thoughts because they all shifted and bowed their heads.

"Whatever you're feeling about the way things played out, Commander, towards him, or us for that matter, is valid. And it's not my intention to sway you or ask you to not feel how you do," Lex spoke up, arms crossed and giving her a sad, knowing look. "But, if it means anything...There isn't one of us that doesn't know or believe we did wrong by you." He let out a breath and shook his head. "And I promise you...no one more so than the Commander. "

She nodded. She knew. Her head had already made sense of it even if her heart was still playing catch up. He'd made the call he needed to to keep others safe. He hadn't let feelings override suspicion, and although that night she had been convinced he must've been posessed of no feelings at all, she had come to recognize the opposite.

It didn't make the feeling of dismissal hurt any less, but she had since realized that the pain from his shots and words stung mostly because they were the backdrop to someone else's, someone she still didn't feel ready to face.

She gave them all another smile, accepted and returned their embraces. She saw it in each of their faces, the words they didn't say with their mouths but asked with their eyes.

Please stay.

It was like a balm to a burn, and for a second she did hesitate, did want to answer in the way they wished her to. But she couldn't. Not right then. And maybe not for a while. But their eyes also spoke of time, as much time as she needed.

She turned to go but someone had caught her wrist. It was Trust, and he tapped a code into her Comm.

"Someone to call, Commander. If you ever need help some day, and you have no where to turn." He shook his head and smiled slightly as his fingers moved across her forearm. "They...have a way of it. " He looked at her once he'd finished and gave a nod, and there was a spark in his force that told her he had been there, had needed that once. And had received it from those he shared with her, now. Behind him Surge and Ravi exchanged knowing glances and Hatch chuckled.

Downstairs she caught Fayna in her arms, knelt and kissed the top of the small head as she whispered a goodbye. Smiled as she was enveloped by Aiya's and Loreen's arms and they remained huddled together on the floor until they almost toppled and they all laughed.

"You come back, ok?" Aiya smiled, a cheek to hers. Loreen steeped away to plucked a bag from the counter and pushed it into her arms.

Ahsoka could feel the soft fabric of a shawl or blanket, and smell the wonderful scent of things she'd savor later, maybe on a lonely night, cold and dark and distant and quiet. Right now she couldn't imagine it and had no desire to, not when she stood snagged and charmed by the light and arms and smiles and smells.

She smiled her own smile then, with eyes and lips and force as she stepped away. Let them all fill the room, resting on the shoulders of the patrons, blooming in the chests of the women and child who stood at the counter, the men who lingered at the foot of the stairs.

She gave a real hug, sudden and deep with arms wrapped and forehead pressed lightly against the man who had stood purposefully to the side, watching intently but fearful of joining in.

Fox had stiffened in surprise at first, but after a moment his arms went around her too. Pulled her close and held her tightly. And there was a lifting, a lightening of the darkness within him at that.

In a small way, she could make a difference, could fix some things.

She left, her heart telling her she needed to learn how to do it for herself.

...

.

.

Ah, Ahsoka. I just had to give her something, some place to go to and find comfort from. I was so incredibly disappointed in the council. They really, really dropped the ball on her behalf.

Rewatching Ahsoka and Ventress fighting Wolffe and his guys...Poor guys...they got seriously potatoed. They were pretty sore after, I'm sure. And poor Wolffe. After all Ventress has done to him personally he still just tries to grab her. And then:

"Aahh-ah!" *Dink!*

And I giggled...I'm a terrible person. T_T

CaptainReb: Missed ya! ;)

Cozzizzie and TGP: I'm glad you guys liked it. It was really tough to write, like this one, because I had the memory of it in my head and wrote about it then re-watched and realized things were out of sync or happened much more quickly than I remembered and I had to find a bridge that worked.

Next chapter is a fluffy Net II, and then it's on to Fives (although I'm not sure if it's from his perspective-it might be Fox or Rex). From there it won't be character chapters anymore because it will just follow them all, and will progress quickly to order 66 and beyond.


	25. Net II

~Net II~

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.

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...

"Message for you."

Steel spoke from beneath the panel he was fiddling with, face hidden and arms in the motions of repairing some damaged wires and gages. His legs were stretched out across the grated floor and Net stepped over them as he carried the supply box past, contents clinking when he paused.

The medic didn't bother questioning the sergeant on his ability to tell who he was simply by his footsteps. Steel had always been possessed of an uncanny knack for it...along with knowing when eyes were rolling behind visors at his expense.

"Medical?" Net crouched and retrieved a tool that Steel was reaching blindy for and pressed it into his hand. The sergeant gave a grunt of thanks and continued his work. There was the sound of fiddling with alloy components and a spark from a nicked wire, snapped hot. A muted 'oops'.

"After a fashion. Your nurse lady-friend."

"Emilie?"

"That's the one." He was faceless at that moment but there was a smile to the other trooper's voice which Net recognized and he groaned.

"Tell me you didn't?"

Steel slid out from beneath the panel to blink at him. "Didn't wha-oh." A grin played over his face and he disappeared again, armor scraping the floor and renewed tinkering. He was silent for a while and Net was left to imagine all the possibilities of the conversation and cringed.

"No." Steel finally admitted.

"I don't believe you."

"The Lieutenant said she's off limits."

Net snorted and crossed his arms. That was believable at least. He rearranged a few items in the box as he waited for the message. It hadn't been long since he'd last seen Emilie, only a week, but he was always eager for an excuse to see her again. It had been over a year since they'd first met. The eventful hospital stay and the tangled events that followed. They'd had many lunch and a few holo-video and sabacc dates. Usually just he and Fetcher, but occasionally with Trust and Hatch too.

He'd even brought her to the Med-bay once after months of pleaded curiosity, much to the amusement of the brothers being treated at the time. And obvious disapproval of Shard. Although that had been softened somewhat by her enthusiasm and smiles, and reduced to mere huffs and grumbles by the time she left.

Net grinned at the memory.

"She wants you and Fetch for something. You're to meet her at the usual place, lunch tomorrow."

Steel slid out and sat up, setting down the tool and draping an arm across his knee, regarding Net curiously. "She said it was really important. Any idea what's up?"

The medic shook his head. Really important? "None." He could see the interest in the sergeant's eye, the desire for a distraction, no matter the account, obvious on his face. It had been slow lately and while that was decidedly a very good thing, they were all growing restless from the reprieve. He was also, like many brothers of their task team, always interested in anything concerning the female nurse.

"I'll fill you in when we get back, though."

"You could just invite me along."

"Not a chance."

...

The hospital's cafeteria was busier than usual that day and they had to wait off to the side with their trays, standing side by side and nibbling as they talked before a table opened up.

"I spoke to your sergeant yesterday." Emilie said between bites, happy to no longer have to speak quite as loudly to be heard as where they stood before. "He's really nice."

"Steel?" Fetcher looked horrified, swallowed and grimaced. "On behalf of all of us, I apologize sincerely."

Emilie blinked at him, confused. "What? Why?"

"He didn't make repeated shameful attempts at flirtation with you?"

She tilted her head in thought, then shook it slowly. "No. At least...not by my undestanding."

"Really?" Fetcher looked so genuinely surprised Net chuckled.

"Shard threatened him."

"Oh."

Fetcher took a bite of his sandwich looking very relieved. 'Well, that's good. He has a large collection of rather...outlandish romantic propositions."

Emilie looked taken aback for a few moments, blinking, but settled into a smile. "Outlandish romantic propositions, huh?" She leaned back and let her eyes pan the bustle of the room before letting out a breath, eyes closed and grinning with a shake of her head. "Some days, I think I could do with a couple of those." She pointed her fork at them both before taking another bite. "You tell your segeant, and the Lieutenant, he has my permission."

Net grinned and shook his head, sipping more caf. His gaze fell and lingered on Fetcher.

The younger clone's eyes had widened at the nurse's admittance and passed over her in surprise for a moment, a breath and a blink before the companionable grin had been snapped in place carefully. Net knew that he had been analayzing deeply her words, trying to determine if they were spoken in jest or truth.

He imagined the younger trooper had a mind in the direction of proposals for Emilie himself, had for a long time, although he had no idea if that would ever come to fruition. Like many times before, Fetcher opened his mouth to say something but seemed to think better of it before the words came out. He dug into his plate once again, cheeks a lttle flushed.

"I don't know how he got promoted to Sergeant." Net mused, offering distraction to his friend's predicament.

"He's still alive," Fetcher joked, giving him a grateful look, and they both laughed.

It was cut short when they caught sight of the stricken look on Emilie's face.

"Er, just kidding, Emilie." Fetcher amended. He gave her a genuine smile. "He actually is a really good guy. Very reliable, mission-wise. Gotten us through many a tight pinch. He and the Lieutenant both do a good job of it." He waved a hand between him and Net. "I mean, we're still around. And you know what we're like." He pulled a face of exaggerated pain and embarrassment.

Emilie looked like she was trying not to laugh but finally gave in and Net smiled.

"Steel said you needed us for something important?" Net glanced at her, tidying his silverware and plate and pressing them aside."'Is everything alright?" He had given her a good long pass over when they'd first met up, seeking anything telling or amiss, and he did a quick one again. She seemed ok. But things hadn't been quite what they had seemed with her once before.

"Yes." She gave them both a bright smile as she rose. "I need to show you something." Catching both of their looks she shook her head and a finger. "Something wonderful. Nothing bad. Come on."

There was a shine to her eyes that Net couldn't quite place. Something new. Something had occurred that gave a fresh light to her smile and a bounce to her step. Something that tempered her usual reserve and granted unhindered passion. He was curious, to say the least. They both rose promptly and returned trays to follow the bouncing curls and skirt, exchanging curious looks between the click of heels.

...

They were in a ward Net had never been in before, one with many coded doors and a large check-in station and waiting room filled with many citizens. When they entered the large room of their destination it wasn't like anything he had ever seen or expected of a medical facility.

The space was cordoned off in alcoved areas, the air highly filtered and muted talk and singing with monitoring blips. Soft shadows and gentle lighting above sweeping overlays and hidden vitals stations. It looked as far removed from a medical bay as possible. There were many small, movable bins so tiny Net imagined they must be storage of supplies of some sort, though he was lost by the volume, stumped by what they might be for.

Emilie made a 'follow me' gesture with an arm behind her and stepped softly to a cluster of the bins. She stoppped at the edge of one and peered in, eyes returning to them with a mischievous smile, her curls and cheeks catching the light. She nodded her head for them both to step up and peer in.

Whatever he had been expecting it wasn't what he saw, and his breath caught.

He could hear Fetcher suck in a breath beside him as well, saw him habitually reaching an arm out to touch the contents in wonder. The younger clone caught himself, frozen for a moment, then pulled back swiftly, looking guilty and unsure and seeking permission at once. Emilie laughed softly and nodded.

They were so tiny. Newly born, if Net had to guess. Two boys and a girl by the marks on their charts.

He lifted eyes to Emilie in astonishment. "They're your patients?"

Her answer was a serene smile, and arms unfolding to pluck one of the babies gently from the bin with practiced care. The bundle was tucked in the crook of her arms and the baby within gave a small yawn and unsteady move of his head. His eyes were closed and as he felt the fabric of the blanket touch his cheek he nuzzled it instinctively.

Emiliy chuckled softly, twinkling eyes.

"They are. And it's feeding time." She nodded at the chrono above them and then at a group of seats behind them. "Go sit"

They did as she asked, thinking they were being allowed the chance to watch her feed the little one in her arms.

Net certainly didn't anticipate her placing the baby she held into his arms, and he sat paralyzed as she positioned him for support of the small bundle. He sat looking down at the tiny being in silent and absolute blinking and gaping study.

He'd treated many patients before. Many brothers. And due to his stationing on Coruscant, civillians as well on their missions. Even children. But he had never helped, or so much as touched something so little and his arms felt woefully huge and clumsy, the head dwarfed by his hands. He'd never felt so nervous before. Now he felt it so strongly, he loooked up at Emilie with what must've been visual expression of his feelings because she giggled.

Fetcher looked like he might have laughed at his predicament too, if he wasn't sure that he would be posessed of the same dilemma soon. Sure enough, Emilie stepped away just long enough to fetch the female newly-born and pressed her gently into the wide-eyed trooper's grasp. He let his arms be maneuvered in the same fashion as Net's and then sat blinking in absolute wonder at the tiny treasure.

The movement had awoken the little girl, and when she opened her eyes Fetcher jolted and gave a terrified glance at Emile. But, with her smile, he returned his attention to the bundle in his arms and a small grin of his own curled his mouth after a moment.

Net had watched the exchange between them all raptly, not wanting to miss anything important. When he felt the tug of a tiny fist enclosing his finger tightly he blinked down at the baby in his own grasp in surprise. There were small shining eyes on him now, and an expression as encompassing and curious as he imagined his was.

"...Hey, little guy..." he whispered, not really sure what to say to a baby. He found himself lost in the liquid blinks and he simply sat taking the being in his arms in for a while. The tiny fingers and fraglity of the small frame. He felt weightless. Soft, and warm.

He could hear the tiny hitched breaths, rapid and shallow, and was at first alarmed, but after he had put an ear to the frail chest for a few moments and watched the small face, his ears and eyes told him it was normal and he let out a long breath of his own. The little flower-petal mouth was opening and closing and toothless gums being rolled over by a tiny tongue. Net had seen a few little ones with an incomplete set of teeth before, but never a mouth without any at all. He found it both bizarre and immeasurably cute. The desire to run a finger over the miniature bumpy gums was strong, but he knew without asking it wasn't a good idea. He settled on staring a bit longer before his gaze fell to the tiny fingers curled on his own and he studied those carefully too.

Beside him Fetcher was just as transfixed, absorbing as always, memorizing the feel and looks of the little one in his grasp. He grew bold after a few minutes and ran a finger gently down a fragile arm, then placed a thumb against the tiny palm and grinned wider when the little fingers grasped. When his thumb was released after a minute, he ran fingers over the fabric of the hat which covered the tiny head.

They were each so lost in their observations they were caught off guard when Emile pressed bottles into their hands.

They both stared at the unfamiliar objects with a degree of uncertainty. Of course they knew what they were, and had the general idea of how they were used. But to actually do it, to be the one placing in that little mouth seemed a daunting task. There had to be a right way and a wrong way to do it, and they were afraid to do it incorrectly.

They watched closely as Emilie took up a seat between them and began to feed the babe in her arms with ease and an encouraging smile. Beside her the two troopers mimicked as best they could. Thankfully the babies seemed to know the what and how of their feedings for the most part, and took the bottles relatively easily.

Net's eyes were glued to the tiny being as he ate, who lay eyes closed and content drinking, all of his trust in the man feeding him. It was a strange, swallowing feeling. Proud, to have someone so marvelously exquisite and special trust him so absoultely and completely. He met eyes with Fetcher briefly and saw the same feelings there.

They both stole intermittent glances at Emilie, watching her for a few moments at a time, transfixed by what they saw.

Net had always found her pretty, wide eyes and shining curls and rosed cheeks, but there was something in the way she sat now, head tilted softly to one side, eyeleashes panning her cheeks, a small serene smile on her lips as she clutched the little one to her chest. There as a breath-catching beauty to it, and he traded glances betwen her and his own charge. When his eyes flicked again to Fetcher he could see the same recognition of something that felt too unearthly and precious for the likes of them, and something neither of them had ever imagined theyd get to take part in.

There was a magic to it, to this act of normalcy of life which they were a part of and protected, but which hadn't ever quite been theirs to experience.

"What do you think?" She asked once her baby had finished his bottle and she pressed him to her shoulder, making small circles and pats to his back. The little one let out a tiny 'burp' at the actions.

"I think that's adorable." Net admitted. Emilie's nose crinkled in companionable adoration and she mouthed the words 'I know, right'.

Net opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't quite find the words he wanted to say, so he just shook his head and smiled. She caught the messsage.

Fetcher was still feeding the baby in his arms. She seemd to have a preference for small breaks of looking around before tucking in again. Emilie looked over at him.

"Credit for your thoughts?"

Fetcher glanced up at her then back to the baby and grinned. "I was just thinking...it makes you feel kind of special, doesn't it? Being relied on like this. It's a good feeling," he mused, staring down at the girl, bottle held back, waiting for the cue to place it in her mouth. His eyebrows knitted. "Also, she's so tiny. How are you not..." he glanced around the room at the other nurses and parents caring for their own armfuls before looking at her. "How is everyone not afraid? Is it just ingrained? I mean...in normal people?"

Emilie chuckled. "You're as normal as anyone, Fetch. I havent see anyone in here not timid the first time. It took me a while to get comfortable with it."

Net listened in, his thoughts drifting to Kamino. This was all as foreign to him as the sterile halls of the water-world would be to these little ones. They had been decanted at an age where they had been fully capable of walking and feeding themselves, even if they were new experiencs at first and had to be matched with the flashed learning received while in the vats. They had never experienced this-the meeting of the world without pre-programmed knowledge and small grasping fingers and blinking eyes without recognition of what they saw or grasped. He tried to imagine what it woud have been like to have been born that way.

To have been cared for so completely and lovingly and...slowly. That's what it felt like, slow in comparison, when he tried to put a hand on the time of his birth and the moments after, everything was a blur. Voices and techs and uniforms and order and bright. There had been no soft lights and songs and rocking arms. No time of just...being. From the moment they all stepped from their vats with new bare feet to cold tiles beneath analyzing eyes, they had something to do or accomplish, some criteria to master or meet.

Having never experiened anything like those being cared for here, in this way , he couldn't accurately say he missed it. And he understood with time constraints and the volume of his brothers why nothing like this would have been feasible.

There was just the wonder of it. Of... if. If it had been like this...would there be a lessening of the feeling of the missing humanity they all seemed posessed of? That had been the confession of many a brother he'd treated, a musing whisper between bunks. The looks in eyes of his kind as they watched others going about their lives on Coruscant, watching over, helping, saving, guarding, waiting, but never quite belonging.

A couple entered the darkened room, slipping into the shadows from the hallway that now seemed blazing from dim-adusted eyes. Their gazes sought and found the area where Net and Fetcher and Emilie sat and their faces lit as they approached.

Net had finished feeding and set the baby to his shouler as Emilie had done. She placed a hand over his to make his pats firmer, then turned at the sound of the couple nearing and beamed up at them.

"He's just eaten." She swiveled and gave a smile at the baby in Net's arms and he realized that these were the parents. He brought the baby back to his arms in a position for handing him over, cheeks heating, suddenly feeling very much like an intruder.

But the woman gave him such a grateful and loving look he coudnt help the small smile that touched his mouth in return as he passed her her son. And he felt relief to see that she took him with some small amount of caution and uncertainty as he had.

He watched as she brought the tiny face to her own to nuzzle, and how the father placed an arm around her shoulders, smiling down at her and their baby over the top of her head. They stepped away to another seat in the corner and both sat.

Emilie placed the baby from her arms into Net's and he sat once again, attention caught between his friends, the new baby, and the couple a little ways a way. He tried not to make it too obvious, but he watched with true interest as they interacted with their baby. The looks on their faces, the way they smiled and held the small being close to their hearts. When the soft, whispers passed their lips and how they sat and gazed with deep and open affection at their son.

At last the baby in Fetcher's arms finished and they were both loathe to return their bundles to their beds when the time was up, although they conceded when Emilie had asked if they wanted to take part in the diapering. They both raised hands in surrender and stepped back and watched, still not fully understanding how she wasn't overcome with fear at the handling and cleaning and dressing of such tiny limbs.

They had said farewell to Emilie at the door a few hours later, crinkled eyes and small, quick hugs. An unspoken thanks that probably couldn't have been put fully to words anyway. An over the shoulder glance at the three little bins across the room, and then a long look and traded smiles with a friend who had given them more than she realized.

...

.

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I had the idea for this chapter as I was writing the first Net chapters, but didn't get to writing it out until now. I thought it'd be neat to let them see what normal care and nurturing looks like for little ones. I might be wrong, but I don't think there was likely much of it on Kamino. I also have no idea if/what NICU centers might look like in the Star Wars universe, but imagined something similar to ours. Both of our kiddos spent time in the NICU, and it and the nurses within will always have a special place in my heart.

Also, a small peek at Steel. He'll be showing up again in The Moonlight Soldier story at some point. He has a different dynamic with his squad than Lex with his. He trained with Lex and Shard on Kamino and is almost the polar opposite of Lex. While Lex keeps his squad in line, Steel's boys kind of do that for him in certain regards.

On to Fives next. It will be from his, Rex's and Fox's perspectives. And from then on Chapters will just have numerical titles.

Sorry for the lag between updates! It might continue for a bit. I'm working on getting kindy lessons written for this coming year. Determined to get them done before we start the year this time.

Cozzizzie and TGP: Thank you guys. I hope you liked this one. So fluffy!


	26. Chapter 26

Fives knew it was going to end badly.

A Jedi screaming your name and the Chancellor himself whispering barbed treachery hot in your ear.

He slid into the taxi as non-chalantly as he could, a deceit, both hearing the driver and not, offering directions as he glanced out the windows warily. Outside the taxi the buildings and lights and speeders lit trails, and the speeder pulled into one of the many lines trickling through the skies above the endless city. Hum and fumes and flickering neon, blared music and obscenities . Fives was dead to it.

The driver's attempt at small-talk was shot down with a growl and a gruff, wry summation of truth.

"You ever heard that one?" Fives asked. Expecting the man to react with horror , to clam up, fall silent and leave him to his dark thoughts.

But the man just laughed.

"All the time."

And then he turned around and whistled a tune as they took their turn in the line of speeders.

All the time.

Fives sat back in dismay.

If the civilian in the front could see the obvious, as though it was written in a universal neon for all to see , why couldn't he? The people he had passed on the streets heads down, shoulders close, glares to the sidewalk and fellows. He saw it now, in their bodies and their eyes. They knew. They all knew.

But he, an ARC, an elite, bred and trained for secrets and darkness and deceit, hadn't known. Hadn't even seen it coming.

It hung heavy in the dank, recycled air of the cab and in his chest. He smacked the door of the cab before placing his head in his hands. The driver didn't even glance back, having not heard, or perhaps immune to the gesture. That wouldn't surprise Fives in the least at that moment. He doubted if anything would again. His thoughts found Tup and the events of the past night played in his head unbidden.

Tup gone. Lost to a mistake, an irreparable order, a command imbued by his very creators.

At the behest of the supreme.

For some reason that was easier to make peace with then his own blind and misguided loyalty. Why hadn't he seen it? The clues had been all around him and he'd ignored them all, blind to reason. Missions compromised at the last minute with no apparent leaks. The jedi gone bad. The encoded orders themselves. Why hadn't he questioned them before? They all knew them, he and his brothers. Drummed into their heads before they could shoot. So many terrible commands, ordered and filed in their minds like dirty secrets.

Because he had filed them away as nonsense. Another thing that had some crazy reasoning which would never see fruition. Abjunct protocol and nothing more. Meaningless in a long string of nonsensical ones. There were so many things that hadn't made sense. So many wrongs.

Only now did he see them for what they were.

And some for _who_ they really were.

The Chancelor had whispered too quietly for the guards to hear, too softly for his brothers to catch the malice, too subtly for them to feel the malice. But Fives had heard it perfectly, even through the fog of the drug Nala Se had given him. And he had felt it, the weight of that evil pressing in on him as the words passed those wizened lips. He had percieved it like a weighted shadow as Shaak Ti had left the room, had seen the shine in the Chancellor's eyes that was not kindness to match his false words, and felt it in the fingertips at his collar as the door shut.

And then the truth- a new order bred on the fall of the Jedi. Their blood on the hands of his brothers when the time came. The strings and whims of an entire army at his hands.

.

He had hesitated. Stayed a shot that could have ended it all. Fled when he should have screamed the truth, demanded it, fed it into the ears of anyone with thoughts in their heads and breath in their chests.

That might have stirred something within them, planted some seed of the obvious that they were all blind and deaf to. Or it may have just gotten them all killed.

He should have told Shaak-Ti.

But at that moment she had seemed too fierce, too fallible. It had been she who had delivered him to the maw of the beast herself, unwillingly or not. And making her an ally would only have been her death, in that complex peppered with his brothers and their blasters, and orders.

But her voice had spurred him on, had ignited a flame that led him to think that there might be a chance. That there might be someone who would believe him.

Right then he'd take anyone.

...

The cab driver left, bellowing obscenities at the clones who made drunken, amused tosses at the retreating shape. Fives watched as it found its way back to the stream of speeders and in another moment was gone.

A brother on the platform put an arm around his shoulders and for a fraction of a second it was a memory feel-safe. Heavy and warm and familiar. The smile, the eyes, even the alcoholic breath. Memories surfaced of others. Others who had walked with him in dark times and shared a drink or two, laughing off and drinking away things that were better forgotten. Nothing like this, though. Fives was morbidly grateful neither Echo nor Tupp had lived to know this treachery.

He took the hat offered freely, another reminder of brothers and camaraderie. But, even as he accepted it, it fell on his head as a dead weight. And he saw those around him with different eyes. They were all dangerous, tools, deadly. A clack of armor on the platform that wasn't his and a helmeted voice came at his back. Already his own brothers were hunting him down.

Beneath the lights of the bar he scanned for anyone he knew. Anyone who might not turn him in the moment they realized who he was. He wasn't sure then what it might accomplish to find someone among those gathered to confide in. His brothers held no more sway that he himself did.

In the far corner he spotted Jesse and Kix and his thoughts floundere, flickered. Steeped and weighed and reasoned. They had been with him when things had gone bad, the seemingly impossible had happened, they too had walked through fire.

In the bathroom Kix was flashing the mirror a grin when he spoke and the medic whirled, surprised and then embarrassed. But his expression turned to horror when he recognized the ARC, even as every brother on the way in hadn't. But Kix, who operated in the minute, the space of dying which took place in seconds, missed nothing.

Fives told him as little as he could get away with. Allies, he needed allies. But he wasn't willing to incriminate more than was absolutely necessary. Wasn't willing to lose another friend if he could help it.

And through no fault of his own Kix wasn't as steady an Ally as Rex and the General. They were ones who wouldn't as easily be silenced or questioned that he had on a line of absolute trust.

There was no way out of this, and Fives knew he was likely thanking the medic for the last time.

...

"Don't do it! Don't do it, soldier!"

The air was pierced with the whistled absolute of Fox's shot and the ARC staggered, surprised, gasping, hands to his smoking chest plate, and then he fell. A sound, a gasp, a step, a thud. Silence.

Terrible things happened in fractions of a second. Irrevocable things.

Orders. They had had orders. Shoot to kill, from the Chancellor, and on the ride over he had told himself he wouldn't do it. That it wouldn't be neccesary.

He had thought he was better than that. How could he and his men not take one delirious man alive?

Pride had clouded his judgment.

But affection had cleared it. A blaster aimed at his men had been met with a response more primal than orders, more human than could be bred out by training. All else had fallen way at that moment.

And everything came back as the smoke left the ARC's chest and he collapsed to the floor. The ping of Lex's shot, disabling the shield holding the Jedi and Rex captive.

Rex had cried out in despair and fallen to his knees and Fox felt, more than saw, the repercussion of his response.

Rex screamed for a medic instinctively and Surge twitched, but Ravi put a hand on his shoulder and held fast.

It would'nt help. They all knew it. Faced with the truth of Fox's shot, there was nothing that could be done to save his life, even with the best of instruments and equipment right there. The best they could give the fallen and his captain in that moment was space.

The Arc gave a dying confession of regret, the simple yet profound urgency that they all carried to have done their duty, to have served a purpose.

Nightmares. He spoke of nightmares.

It may have been lost on the others, but Rex and Fox, who remained immobile, pistol lowered but still in his hands, understood.

Hatch removed his helmet and stepped forward as they all did, save Fox.

Lex cast a glance back at him now, helmetless and wordless. His face could have revealed anger or triumph or horror, accusation. Or even gratefulness. For the fallen ARC's shot surely would have found the heart or visor of himself or one of his men. But instead he offered only the look that those in command have to master. Conviction when they themselves are uncertain. Comfort when they have no idea how to process a situation themselves.

Fox made no response, visor locked on the forms on the floor, and the sergeant's eyes passed back to Rex and the man on the floor and remained there.

Surge had at last moved in to kneel beside the fallen Arc, to seek a pulse they all knew wasn't there before rocking back on his heels before replacing his helmet, retreating to the silence it offered. Turns, Rex's own once, bent and pressed a hand to the Captain's pauldron.

Rex stayed on the floor, shaking and hands to his head and the Jedi was a statue behind him, a dark silhouette bowing it's head in remorse.

Outside the city thrummmed with life. Vivid, hot, brazen, wild, dark, sprawling. Secrets. Breathed. And inside the warehouse, at the feet of his brothers. Fives did not.

...

I'm so sorry for the long wait! We had such an adventure moving and getting settled, so many wonderful moments and some not so, but good in the end. I really have no excuse for this length of absence though, other than simply not writing when I have had the chance. I hope you'll forgive me!

A deep thank you to my reviewers, and anyone still sticking with TOC this long. This chapter really didn't come out like I imagined, and has had so many revisions and scratches I got to the point that I had to just throw in the towel and move on, or I never will. I'm hoping to touch up later, but want to press on.

See you soon in TOS and hopefully in TOC in hopefully not this long again. :)


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